Woman allegedly embezzles from Muldrow Family Dollar

A former employee of Family Dollar in Muldrow is facing a felony charge of embezzlement after she failed to make two deposits totaling over $3,000 for the store in July.

Kimberly Bolden, 46, of Fort Smith, was formally charged on Sept. 8 in Sequoyah County District Court.

On July 25, Muldrow Police Corporal Nick Yoakum reported he was dispatched to the police department to meet with the district manager of the Family Dollar store.

The manager handed the officer several papers, stating the Muldrow Family Dollar store manager, Bolden, had allegedly stolen $3,199.79 from the store.

The manager said she received alerts showing that two deposits had not been credited at the bank. The deposits were for $1,250.94 on July 4, and $1,298.85 on July 5, had not been deposited in the bank. However, the manager said all deposits since that date had been deposited and credited without incident, according to the probable cause affidavit.

When the manager contacted Bolden on July 13 concerning the missing deposits and asked her to get verification for them, Bolden reportedly said that after visiting the bank, they were not able to locate them. She also told the manager she had no idea where the deposits had went to, according to the affidavit.

The manager said she then went to the bank herself to request the deposits, but had no success.

On July 22, the manager said she received a text message from Bolden, stating she had “taken $400 of the Family Dollar money to go and get change for the store.” Bolden then alleged her car broke down and she’d left the money in her car unattended, and filed a police report regarding the situation.

In an interview with the district manager on July 25, Bolden reportedly wrote a statement saying “it was a failure of execution during a stressful time when she should’ve taken a few days off, and did not realize she (Bolden) was missing any deposits.”

Bolden then alleged she wasn’t submitting verifications correctly and not going with company policy. Instead, she stated that an employee’s failure to do their job correctly had caused her to go against store policy. She added that her car had not been shifting properly and she’d secured it before going to a relative’s home about a block away, but the relative was not at home.

Bolden alleged the $400 she was getting change with was taken at that time, along with other money and items.

Court records show a warrant was issued for Bolden’s arrest on Sept. 8 and she received a $5,000 bond. Following a Sept. 27 arraignment, she is now scheduled for a Nov. 1 felony disposition docket.

If found guilty of the charge, District Attorney Jack Thorp said the crime is punishable by imprisonment in the State Penitentiary for up to five years and a fine not to exceed $5,000 and restitution.