(Stillwater, Okla.) — A former bookkeeper for Cars Run has been ordered to pay $10,792 restitution for embezzlement during a two-month period while she was employed at the Perkins business in 2012.
Dawn Renee Thompson, 42, of Morrison, must continue outpatient mental health treatment until released by her counselor, as part of a five-year probationary sentence imposed on Aug. 15.
Thompson was also ordered to perform 50 hours of community service, to pay a $150 fine and to follow all recommendations contained in a background report prepared for the court.
The embezzlement was discovered while Thompson — who subsequently pleaded guilty — was on extended leave, Perkins Police Chief Bob Ernst wrote in an affidavit.
In a background report for the court, Thompson said, “Around the middle of November 2012, the Perkins Police Department asked me to come in so they could question me about some money that was missing from the business I worked at called Cars Run.
“I was their bookkeeper and they noticed something wrong. The police department investigated and found that $10,000 had been put into my bank account.
“At the time I was having back problems and was taking medication prescribed to me. I was on Demerol, Xanax, and Ambien.
“I really don’t know what happened during that time, but do not remember purposely sending money to my bank account.
“In April 2013 a newspaper article came out and mentioned that I had embezzled $10,000 from my employers.
“I called a friend of mine that is a bail bondswoman and told her that I needed to take care of this, so she told me what to do and I went to the Payne County Jail on April 12, 2013, and did a walk through.”
According to the Perkins police chief’s affidavit, the business’s executive director, Orville Manuel, had noticed that nine checks had not been deposited into the Cars Run LLC checking account at Stillwater National Bank.
Cars Run operations director Matt Boyles learned that eight checks had been processed by Arvest Bank — with no endorsement on them, the affidavit said. A ninth check was later located and not embezzled, the affidavit said.
After the Perkins police chief obtained a subpoena for the account number linked to the transactions, Arvest Bank reported the checks were deposited in Thompson’s checking account, the affidavit said.
“Arvest further advised an automatic teller machine (ATM) located at 524 N. Main, Stillwater, Ok., was used to complete these transactions,” the affidavit said.
On March 22, 2013, the Perkins police chief phoned Thompson, who agreed to come to the police station in three days, but she did not show up, the affidavit said.
When the Perkins police chief called her on March 25, 2013, Thompson said she did not want to speak to him regarding the matter and would be contacting an attorney, the affidavit said.
Thompson admitted her guilt 11 months later and was sentenced in accordance with a plea bargain with the prosecution on Aug. 15, court records show.
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