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COLUMBIA - A Sturgeon area woman was arrested by Boone County sheriff deputies on suspicion of fraud and financial exploitation on Tuesday.

Michele Brown, 40, was on probation for previous counts of fraud when she was arrested on Tuesday. Brown was arrested on suspicion of defrauding family members and financially exploiting an 80-year-old Columbia woman for tens of thousands of dollars. The suspect lived with the 80-year-old woman beginning May of 2010 after the two were once employed by the same company.

Family members of Brown and the elderly woman involved contacted sheriff's detectives on Tuesday, tipping them off to Brown's suspected illegal activities.

Currently, detectives believe the suspect opened numerous credit cards in the elderly woman's name, charging at least $29,000. The number is expected to rise as detectives look through numerous financial documents.

Brown is awaiting bond to be set on charges of Probation Violation, Fraudulent Use of a Credit Device, Forgery and Financial Exploitation of the Elderly.