Crookston woman sentenced to 180 days for theft from employer
Apr. 24—POLK COUNTY, Minn. — A Crookston woman was granted a staggered 180-day sentence on Tuesday, April 23, for the crimes of felony theft from an employer and aiding an offender.
Irene Thompson, 42,
pleaded guilty to the crimes
in February. In exchange, her two remaining charges, felony theft of lost property and felony possession of stolen property, were dismissed.
A proposed plea agreement said the state would argue for no more than 180 days in custody.
New Flyer, Thompson's previous employer, overpaid her $137,521.94, according to a probable cause statement filed in the case.
When the money was deposited into her account in December 2022, Thompson left work and never returned, nor did she respond to any attempts the company made to reach her, the statement said.
Thompson told law enforcement she believed the money was part of her 401K retirement plan, and said she spent most of it but would repay it.
Her retirement plan only had $14,425.40 in it when she quit, the statement said.
Thompson later said she knew she shouldn't have spent the money, and turned in what remained, which was $11,030.
On Tuesday, April 23, Thompson was sentenced to 24 months and two days in custody at the Northwest Regional Correctional Center, though she was only ordered to serve 180 days.
That time can be throughout three years. From July of this year to June of next year, Thompson must serve 20 days in jail and 40 days on electronic home monitoring. She will repeat this process in years two and three.
She has credit for two days served.
Thompson will be on supervised probation for five years. If she violates any conditions, she will be at risk of serving the entire 24 months and two days.
