By Shavonne Potts
shavonne.potts@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Salisbury business owner who was arrested one week ago Brunswick County is accused of withdrawing over $200,000 from an account maintained by her now-deceased mother-in-law.

The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office arrested 56-year-old Kim Yost Fraley on May 23 for three counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses and three counts of exploitation of an older adult. She was issued a $5,000 secured bond and has since been released.

A spokeswoman for the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said they assisted Rowan County with the arrest of Fraley, who was in Brunswick County at the time.

Fraley and her husband, Bill, own Chapman Custom Signs, which recently moved to 321 S. Church St., from its longtime location at 245 Ted Lane.

According to an indictment filed by the NC State Bureau of Investigation on May 18 in Rowan County, Kim Fraley “made withdrawals from Thrivent Financial account (number redacted) by forging the signature of Edith Fraley and did so while Edith Fraley lacked the capacity to consent to such withdrawals.”

The withdrawals are said to have occurred between February 2014 and December 2017.

The Post reached out to Fraley’s attorney, Jay White of Concord, but did not immediately receive a response.

According to SBI Public Information Director Anjanette Grube, the investigation was conducted by the SBI’s Financial Crimes Unit. Grube confirmed the arrest by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office.

She also said the SBI is not able to share any details of the investigation itself beyond what’s already been shared publicly.

In one indictment, offenses are said to have occurred between Feb. 1, 2014 to July 31, 2017. The value of the account was $100,000 or more.

Other offenses occurred between Dec. 1, 2016 and Dec. 21, 2017 under a different Thrivent Financial account. The value of the funds, assets and property was less than $20,000, according to the indictment.

In the final indictment, offenses occurred between Feb. 1, 2014 and Nov. 20, 2017. Fraley allegedly made withdrawals from a third Thrivent Financial account with a value above $100,000.