Store contest leads to embezzlement charge
A Sallisaw woman is charged with felony embezzlement after she allegedly gave away multiple free items to customers during a store contest, without the store’s permission.
Brittany Nance, 25, was charged July 18 in Sequoyah County District Court and a warrant was issued for her arrest the same day, according to court records. She received a $1,000 bond and is set for a July 26 arraignment before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.
Sallisaw Police reported responding to possible “stealing” ...
A Sallisaw woman is charged with felony embezzlement after she allegedly gave away multiple free items to customers during a store contest, without the store’s permission.
Brittany Nance, 25, was charged July 18 in Sequoyah County District Court and a warrant was issued for her arrest the same day, according to court records. She received a $1,000 bond and is set for a July 26 arraignment before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.
Sallisaw Police reported responding to possible “stealing” at 10 Box Cost Plus on June 15, where they met with the store manager. The store manager said Nance, who was employed as a cashier, had worked from 3 to 9 p.m. that day and the store was having a contest to see which cashier could sell the most.
The store manager went on to say that Nance would tell customers that for every piece of candy they purchased, she would give them another product for free. The store manager said that was against company policy and Nance reportedly admitted to giving free products to customers to boost her candy sales, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case.
The store manager estimated the total cost of the free products to be around $1,000. The products ranged from alcohol and steaks, to other consumable goods.
However, a loss prevention employee estimated the cost to be much higher and videos were supplied of Nance conducting the transactions. Officers were able to view the video footage on June 21, according to the affidavit.
Police made contact with Nance at her residence in Sallisaw the same day and asked if she’d be willing to come to the police department to speak with them about the case. She agreed to do so the following day but never showed. A warrant was then issued for her arrest since she failed to show for the scheduled interview.
After reviewing the transaction log for Nance’s shift that day, it showed she conducted 30 transactions and gave away a combined $1,507.68 worth of free merchandise to customers without store authorization.
District Attorney Jack Thorp said the crime is punishable by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for not more than two years, or in the county jail not to exceed one year, by a fine not to exceed $5,000, or both fine, imprisonment and restitution.
