LAUREL, Miss. – A Laurel man, Monterian Dotson, 35, has been arrested for allegedly exploiting an elderly woman after she noticed unusual activity in her bank account.
Dotson, who received a $20,000 settlement against Jones County Sheriff Joe Berlin in 2023, now faces charges of exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
According to Sgt. Macon Davis of the Laurel Police Department, an investigation of videos and bank transactions revealed that Dotson had taken thousands of dollars from the woman without her consent.
Authorities said Dotson had been panhandling in Laurel, and the victim initially helped him when he requested money for food. “She just tried to help the young man and then it escalated from there,” Davis said.
Davis added that Dotson has a long history of panhandling and, at times, appeared verbally aggressive, though there was no evidence of weapons being involved.
Dotson’s bond has been set at $100,000.
