Son, granddaughter accused of stealing $10,000 from dependent woman

A Cedar Rapids man and his daughter are accused of siphoning more than $10,000 from his mother's bank account.

Jeffery N. Jones, 48, of 3201 Soutter Ave. SE, and Tabatha S. M. Jones, 22, of 3021 Bever Ave. SE, have been charged with financial exploitation of a dependent adult and false use of a credit card. They are accused of taking $10,359 from the accounts of 86-year-old Mabel Hunnicutt between July 13 and Nov. 10, 2011.

According to a criminal complaint, the Joneses charged $2,800 to Hunnicutt's credit card and took out cash advances totaling more than $6,000. In addition, Tabatha Jones is accused of cashing 12 checks from Hunnicutt's account totaling $1,559 without permission.

Police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said Hunnicutt's bank contacted a fraud investigator about suspicious activity with her account in December. Bank employees had noticed several transactions where Hunnicutt was not present, police said.

"This was a case where the bank was watching out for their client," said Hamblin, who did not release the name of the bank. "They did an awesome job."

Hamblin said the investigation involving the Joneses is still ongoing, and more charges are possible. She said investigators have not determined a motive for the alleged offenses.

Jeffery and Tabatha Jones were arrested Tuesday afternoon at police headquarters and taken to the Linn County Jail.