A Hastings resident was found not guilty on all charges filed against her of felony financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.

A jury trial was held last week in Dakota County Circuit Court, and Mary Rose Polley Schommer, 55, was found not guilty on all counts.

The charges were filed March 10, 2022 by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office.

Two counts against Polley Schommer had been dismissed prior to the trial. The jury trial started Wednesday, Dec. 15, and the jury deliberated for a short time starting Friday afternoon, returning with the not guilty verdicts.

Polley Schommer’s attorney, Kevin Riach, didn’t think the case should have ever made it to trial.

“Not surprisingly, we didn’t think this was a case that should have been brought to begin with, and we’re glad that the jury looked at the evidence and recognized that she didn’t commit any crimes,” said Riach. “You can imagine how something like this can turn your entire life upside down, and to come out on the other side with the jury hearing everything and concluding you hadn’t done anything wrong is relieving. It’s gratifying. You can’t undo the damage of having to suffer through the proceedings, but the jury got it.”

Riach said that at the close of the trial he was “hopeful” for not guilty verdicts, and he was pleased with the outcome, especially for Polley Schommer.

“When something like this happens, the news gets out, and only the government side of the story gets told. But when you get to trial, everybody’s side of the story gets told, and the results speak for themselves,” said Riach.