The criminal case against a Shoshoni Senior Center assistant director accused of exploiting one of the people she was supposed to help is headed to district court.
The alleged victim, 93, lives alone and relies on the Shoshoni Senior Center for meals, transportation and other daily assistance.
Jeannie Kroenke was bound over Tuesday after a preliminary hearing in Fremont County Circuit Court on a single felony count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult.
A week after Kroenke's arrest, the Shoshoni Senior Center's Board of Directors publicly acknowledged the allegations, saying it understood the concern they created among seniors and their families.
They added that Kroenke has been placed on leave.
"We take these allegations seriously and will continue to do everything within our authority to ensure the Senior Center remains a safe, welcoming, and trusted resource for the people we serve," they wrote.
Wyoming Rancher
Long before she depended on others for help, the Shoshoni woman at the center of this case spent decades caring for her family and running a Wyoming cattle ranch.
After her husband died in 1990, she stepped into a larger role managing the family's Fremont County ranch.
Now, prosecutors allege that a woman who devoted much of her life to caring for others became vulnerable to exploitation by someone she had come to trust.
An affidavit shows the woman, in the last ten years, used a wheelchair, lived alone, and "became confused easily."
Nine Checks
The case began after Wyoming Community Bank contacted the Shoshoni Police Department for a recently deposited check that looked suspicious.
Investigators allege the check had been altered from $5,000 to $15,000.
That discovery prompted detectives to look deeper.
Police say they uncovered nine checks totaling $33,400, all allegedly deposited into Kroenke's personal bank account between April 17, 2025, and June 23, 2026.
According to the affidavit, investigators determined the woman was unable to manage her finances independently because of her age, physical limitations and confusion.
'Go Have Fun'
Kroenke acknowledged receiving the checks but told investigators they were gifts.
According to the affidavit, she said the woman wanted to help pay expenses related to her daughter's mental health treatment and would sometimes hand her $1,000 while saying, "Go have fun."
Kroenke said she used the money to pay rent, travel expenses, medications for her daughter, and other household bills. Investigators also say she acknowledged using $10,000 of the money to repay a debt she owed her son.
Police say another check, this one for $6,200, was also disputed.
Investigators wrote that the woman believed the money was being donated to the Shoshoni Senior Center's historical preservation project. Kroenke told detectives she had confused that check with a different donation.
Near the end of her interview, investigators say Kroenke acknowledged that accepting money from a client looked inappropriate because of her position at the senior center. She also admitted no one else knew the woman had been giving her money, says the affidavit.
More Than Lunch
The allegations have shaken a place many people in Shoshoni consider the heart of the community.
The senior center serves meals, provides transportation, hosts community events, and gives older residents a place to socialize and stay connected.
"It's a really important part of our whole town," Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith previously told Cowboy State Daily.
Highsmith said seniors travel from surrounding rural communities — and even Riverton — to eat there, attend events and spend time together.
He urged residents not to judge the organization by the allegations against one employee.
"If the allegations are true, it was an act of one person and not an act ... of the senior center as a whole," Highsmith said. "It's one individual, it's not the senior center."
Board Responds
Shoshoni Senior Center Executive Director Rikki Neale said the center remains committed to the people who depend on it.
"The Shoshoni Senior Center is and always will be dedicated to the care, dignity, and safety of our seniors," Neale said. "We are grateful for the trust our community places in us, and we remain focused on providing the support, services, and companionship that our participants depend on every day."
The board said it would not comment further while the criminal case is pending.
Kroenke previously posted a $10,000 cash bond after her initial appearance on July 13. Court records show she is represented by public defender Valerie Schoneberger.
Chief Deputy Fremont County Attorney Timothy Hancock asked the court to set an arraignment date, where Kroenke will enter a plea.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
