Taylorsville man accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars from elderly mother

TAYLORSVILLE — A Taylorsville man is accused of threatening his elderly mother and forcing her to give him tens of thousands of dollars.

"Law enforcement believes they can prove that over $33,000 has been taken from the victim by the defendant over the last six months. But the actual amount is thought to be over $200,000 over the course of years. The victim has been reported to be too frightened to go to the police, he tracks her every movement through her phone and device trackers, and she is afraid of his retaliation," according to charging documents.

Zachary Stewart, 46, was charged last week in 3rd District Court with financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony; and unlawful installation of a tracking device, a class A misdemeanor.

In July, a friend of the mother contacted police claiming Stewart "often takes (his mother) to the bank to make withdrawals to give to Stewart," the charges state. The mother told the friend that "she does not want to do this, but that she is afraid of Stewart. And that she won't report his behavior to the police out of fear of retaliation."

Taylorsville police investigating the claim reviewed the woman's bank records and discovered 679 transfers from the mother's account to Stewart's money transferring app over the past six months, totaling about $24,400, according to the charges.

"There were also numerous ATM withdrawals from the account totaling $9,900. The deposits made into the account totaled approximately $37,500. And approximately $33,900 was withdrawn as cash or to Stewart's account," the charges state.

Police stated in a jail booking affidavit that they believe Stewart has been taking money from his mother for years, but the activity increased since moving in with her in December.

Detectives set up an interview with the mother at the friend's home because she was afraid that Stewart would find out if she went to the police station.

"(She) stated that Stewart lives with her but does not contribute anything to the household and she doesn't depend on anything from him. He does buy groceries, but those are for himself. (She) stated she does not knowingly give Stewart permission to link her bank card to his cash app. And she is not okay with him taking it. She continues to cancel her cards and get new ones, but Stewart keeps getting the numbers. (The mother) stated that she hides her cash and wallet inside pillowcases, her pants, and other random spots to try to keep Stewart from finding them," according to the charges.

Police also reviewed threatening text messages sent to the mother by Stewart, the charges state.

"(Stewart's) course of conduct has caused the elderly victim to experience substantial fear and emotional distress. The victim reported that (Stewart) had threatened to punch her in the past when she refused to give him money. The victim is very afraid of what the consequences will be now that she has talked to the police," according to charging documents.

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