Bowman case delayed after attorney withdraws

The case against a 61-year-old Rhinelander woman accused of taking thousands of dollars from an elderly person while serving as his power of attorney is back on track with the plaintiff now represented by a new attorney.

Terrie Ann Bowman is charged with a single felony count of theft of movable property (special facts). The charge includes an enhancer because the alleged victim was elderly.

According to the criminal complaint, filed in June, the case involves the alleged transfer of over $107,000 to Bowman’s personal bank account and the withdrawal of $4,000 from an account belonging to an elderly individual for whom Bowman was serving as power of attorney.

Bowman entered a not guilty plea to the charge in late August and appeared for a pretrial conference in October.

As negotiations were ongoing, another pretrial conference was set for late January. However, by the time that date came around, Bowman’s attorney, Peter Prusinski, had formally withdrawn from the case.

Bowman was back in court on Feb. 21 with  her new attorney Jonas Bednarek.

According to Oneida County circuit judge Mike Bloom, Prusinki “unexpectedly closed up his law practice,” forcing Bowman to retain new counsel.

Bednarek told the court he is awaiting discovery material from the state and needs some time to conduct his own investigation. He went on to note that he doesn’t necessarily foresee the need for extensive pretrial motions. 

“I could be wrong about that but from what I know I think it’s pretty straightforward,” he said.

Hearing that, Bloom scheduled another pretrial conference for the afternoon of May 7. 

According to the complaint, Bowman and her husband became friends with the alleged victim because he frequented their business, R & T’s Dinky Diner. 

In 2019, after experiencing serious health issues, the man asked Bowman to serve as his power of attorney over financial matters. In this role, Bowman told investigators she paid bills such as cable, auto insurance and taxes for the man.

The complaint states Bowman had no prior experience as a power of attorney and no training.

In addition to handling bills, she also helped arrange hospice care when the man’s condition worsened, as he desired to die in his own home, the complaint states.

According to the complaint, in late August 2022, just days after the man passed way, Bowman transferred $107,840.45 from his account to her personal account and withdrew $4,000 in cash.

The state alleges that Bowman did not have the authority or consent to transfer the $107,840.45 to her account and withdraw $4,000 and that her conduct constitutes financial exploitation of the elderly.

The Class H felony carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison.