WILLMAR -- The captain of the Willmar branch of the Salvation Army is facing felony charges alleging that he, as a court-appointed guardian for a vulnerable adult, spent more than $3,000 from the man's bank account without the man's permission.
Raymond Michael Line, 42, of Willmar, was charged in December with one count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
Line has been captain of the Willmar Salvation Army since 2000.
According to the criminal complaint, Line became the legal guardian of a blind, 58-year-old Willmar man who is considered a vulnerable adult. The man was a member of the Salvation Army Church and met and befriended Line, prior to Line becoming the man's legal guardian.
The man told Kandiyohi County Family Services in June 2005 that Line spent $1,775 on a trombone and $1,599 on a digital projector in 2004 using the man's money, the complaint says. The man also alleged $150 of his money was transferred into one of Line's family member's bank accounts, the complaint says. Line said the transaction was a simple mistake.
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The man was receiving food stamps and Medicaid. In order to qualify for the programs, a person must be beneath a certain financial level. The man had just received a $10,000 insurance claim and, in order to get the benefits, had to spend down this amount to no more than $3,000, the complaint says.
Line told a detective with the Willmar Police Department that he knew about the need to spend down the $10,000, and said that a portion of this money was spent on the projector. Line said he was given the trombone as a Christmas gift by the man, the complaint says.
The man says that he didn't give Line permission to buy the trombone.
A review of the man's account showed that there was a withdrawal of $5,000 on April 16, 2004, the same day the projector was purchased and $1,341.46 was put toward the trombone.
The trombone was purchased in Paynesville on March 24, 2004. The receipt shows it was purchased by "Captain Mike Line."
When interviewed by police, Line said he tried to return the instrument, saying he couldn't afford to make payments anymore. Line said when he got to the store, the clerk told him that someone else had paid for the trombone in full.
The clerk was later interviewed by police and said he remembered Line coming in on March 4, 2004, and using a money order for $1,341.46 to make the final payment on the trombone. The clerk told police that he remembered the transaction because it was rare that anyone used money orders, and he didn't know how to handle them.
When interviewed again by police with this information, Line denied that he first said that the instrument had been paid for by someone, the complaint says. However, that previous interview was recorded. Later, Line said he'd paid for the trombone himself.
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With the projector purchase, Line claimed the man gave the digital projector to the Salvation Army as a gift.
The man told police he had not given Line permission to buy the projector and "felt he was being tricked," the complaint states.
Line maintained the projector was a voluntary purchase by the man, the complaint says.
Court documents estimate restitution costs to be $3,183.87.
A family member, reached Wednesday night, said Line would not comment on the charges.
His next court date is set for March 7.
