A 53-year-old Mt. Vernon woman filed an open plea of guilty Tuesday to one of two charges accusing her of financially exploiting an elderly person.

Sheila M. Johnston pleaded guilty to illegally using between $5,000 and $50,000 from an elderly person’s bank account.

Financial exploitation of an elderly person is a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison. An additional count of the same charge was dismissed as per the plea agreement.

According to court records, Johnston used funds from the bank account of an elderly person in her care from about February 2015 to August 2017.

Unlike a guilty plea, an open plea of guilty comes with no agreed sentence or sentencing cap. A status hearing on Johnston’s sentencing has been set for Feb. 20.