By Staff
CASSOPOLIS - An employee who bilked thousands of dollars from an automatic teller machine (ATM) at the Shell Mart in Jones was found guilty as charged Wednesday by a Cass County jury.
The 12-person panel took slightly over an hour to determine that Nancy Hines, 39, had been using her position as an assistant manager to secrete money from the electronic dispenser at her place of employment.
Business records presented to the jury by Cass County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jason Ronning revealed that more than $6,000 disappeared from the defendant's shift from March 15 to April 15, 2004.
Hines took the witness stand and acknowledged taking some of the money out of the ATM, but claimed it was to put it in the Shell Mart safe.
Her managers never found the missing money there or at any other location.
The defendant suggested at trial that other employees may have committed the crime, but store records revealed that Hines was the only person working on certain occasions where money came up missing.
On one instance Hines heisted approximately $1,000.
Ronning effectively argued to the jury that Hines had exclusive access to the machine during her shifts and took the money to help finance personal endeavors.
Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz said today, "This verdict makes it clear that stealing from your employee will result in serious consequences. She stole from all of us when she took money from that machine."
Hines was living at 61588 High St., Jones, at the time of the crime.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 17.