Police: Man drained aunt’s bank account while she battled brain tumor

A 58-year-old man was arrested by North Las Vegas police last week after he told detectives he took about $64,000 from his aunt’s bank account while she was hospitalized with a brain tumor, according to an arrest report.

Joe Kent Jensen, 58, was arrested May 18 after he admitted to taking the money from the account “because he wanted a fresh start and needed the money to buy things for his new apartment,” according to Jensen’s arrest report. He’s been charged with felony counts of exploiting an older or vulnerable person, and theft of more than $3,500, court records show.

He is also identified in online jail records as Joseph Jensen.

On May 4, police spoke with Jensen’s aunt, who said the 58-year-old had been living in her house since 2005. She told police that she gave Jensen access to her bank account two to three years ago so that he could pay her bills and mortgage if she was unable to, the report said.

Jensen’s aunt was hospitalized in late February because of a brain tumor. She was released March 23, and while she was hospitalized Jensen was supposed to be using the bank account to pay her mortgage, bills and medical expenses.

The woman told police that “Jensen did take care of those things but he was also taking the money out of her savings accounts and using it for himself,” the report said.

Bank statements showed that on March 10 the woman had more than $73,000 in her account, but by early May she had only about $1,000, the report said.

The woman initially reported that Jensen had taken more than $70,000 from the account but in a later interview with police said he took about $64,000.

During the interview, Jensen told police he had about $39,000 of the money remaining and that “he had spent most of the money on his new apartment, furniture, TVs, vehicle and jewelry for his girlfriend.” He said that he “wanted a fresh start” and believed the money was also his because he had access to the account.

Jensen was booked May 22 into the Clark County Detention Center, where he remained Thursday with a $60,000 bail, court records show. A court appearance was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.