A Mountain Home woman pled guilty to charges in a series of criminal cases during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday and was sentenced to six years in prison.In three new cases, all filed last year, 42-year-old Nicole Ashley Guinn was accused of theft of property, lottery fraud, domestic battering, endangering the welfare of a minor and theft of a credit card.
In addition, revocation petitions have been filed in two older cases – a drug case filed in 2021 and a commercial burglary case filed in 2018.
EARLIEST CHARGE
On February 13, Mountain Home police were notified that an ex-employee of a local convenience store was suspected of stealing and “cashing out” lottery tickets.
The store manager told police that while on shift, Guinn had the only key to the cabinet where lottery tickets were kept.
Police were told that 32 lottery tickets were “activated” during Guinn’s shift on one day in February.
A security analyst with the state Lottery Commission assisted in the investigation. The analyst said records showed 27 of the tickets were “cashed out” in the store where Guinn worked and five others at different locations in Mountain Home.
The locations, times and dates related to the “cashing out” of the stolen tickets and surveillance camera footage was obtained from two businesses showing Guinn redeeming the tickets.
Restitution of $2,540 is being sought by the store from which the tickets were stolen and $1,285 in restitution by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery.
AUGUST CHARGE
In August, Guinn was reported to have been babysitting a young child at a residence in Gassville while the great grandparents of the victim were doing errands.
When the relatives returned to the residence about three hours later, the great grandmother noticed a red mark on the child’s face.
She told police she first thought it might be makeup and took the child into the bathroom to wash her face.
When she turned the lights on, she said she noticed what was described as “severe bruising and abrasions” on the little girl’s face.
Guinn, who had been the only person home with the child during the time the great-grandparents were out, was confronted about the injuries, she is reported to have said she had no knowledge of what had happened.
She reportedly told the same thing to investigators.
Guinn was told to leave the residence. Guinn’s partner is reported to be the child’s grandmother.
LATEST CHARGE
Guinn’s latest charge stemmed from the theft of a debit card and using the card at two locations in Mountain Home.
The victim made the report of the theft on September 7.
He told police he worked with Guinn and believed the card had been taken September 4 when they were both working at the same time.
The card was used to buy medication at a local pharmacy and to make a purchase at a gas station. A review of security camera footage at the pharmacy shows Guinn using the stolen card.
REVOCATION PETITIONS
Guinn has a lengthy record of criminal cases. The first one was filed in 2002 when she was 21-years-old.
The newer charges filed against her resulted in the revocation of her probation for violating her terms and conditions in two older cases.
She was also given six years in prison on the revocations to be served concurrently with the other prison sentences handed down Thursday.
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