On Friday morning, attorneys for the defense and prosecution in the case against Mary Schommer of Hastings gathered in Courtroom 2C at the Dakota County Administration building for an omnibus hearing in the case. Schommer is accused of misappropriating funds from a trust set up by her mother, Ione Polly, to benefit Ione, Mary, and Mary’s siblings. Attorneys for the defense brought two witnesses during the hearing, an attorney with expertise in trust accounts, and Mary’s half-sister Kathy. The attorney, Spencer Butts, testified that the trust was worded in such a way that distribution of funds from the trust were authorized for the beneficiaries, even while Ms. Polly was alive, including to the Trustee, Mary. An attorney for the prosecution argued that even with the terminology of the trust, there may have been criminal activity, even if unintended, as funds were disbursed to the Trustee while there were outstanding balances due to care providers for Ms. Polly. Schommer’s sister testified that the distribution of funds to Schommer did not bother the rest of the beneficiaries. A trial date, if needed, has not been set.
