A former employee of the Baxter County Sheriff’s office charged with fraudulently drawing almost $31,000 in unemployment benefits while working appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.
WORKING ON RESTITUTION
Her attorney, Justin Downum, asked the court for a continuance in his client’s case. He said she is prepared to plead to the charges against her, but needed time to work on getting the money to pay what is a substantial amount in victim restitution in the case.
She is to reappear January 9, 2023.
THEFT OF PUBLIC BENEFITS
Fifty-three-year-old Michelle Hood of Mountain Home is charged with theft of public benefits. During an earlier court session, Hood waived her appearance and pled not guilty to those charges.
According to the probable cause affidavit, an investigator with the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services went through records and noted the dates Hood was alleged to have “drastically under reported” her income, or claimed she was not working at all.
The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services notified the Baxter County Human Resource office that unemployment benefits had been paid to Hood during a period from the first quarter of 2020 through May 2021.
After the information was received, a criminal investigation was launched.
The county human resource office completed a wage audit for the period beginning March 23, 2020 through April 23, 2021. The audit was completed and furnished to the state agency.
Hood, who had been working as a secretary at the sheriff’s office since 2014, was placed on indefinite unpaid suspension in late May 2021 and discharged for cause on June 4, 2021.
The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas State Police and the state Department of Workforce Services investigated the matter.
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