Three employees at Nancy’s Country Store in Cooperstown are facing multiple felony charges of theft, which resulted in a combined loss of $123,862 to the business.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Franklin state police, Betty A. Baker, 57, of Franklin; and Joyce M. Clark, 66, and Anna M. Songer, 43, both of Cooperstown, covered for each other at the store to commit the thefts.
A business representative approached police on Feb. 23 to report the activities of the three women, providing police with multiple pages worth of documentation showing their actions, according to the complaint.
The three also would void cash transactions made by customers and keep the cash for themselves after the customer left, the complaint said.
Baker, Clark and Songer also took scratch-off tickets from the Pennsylvania Lottery machines and played them throughout their shifts, resulting in a loss of $34,931 to the store, according to the complaint.
The group also stole money from the Pennsylvania Games of Skill, for a total of $6,629, according to the complaint.
When interviewed, police said the three women told them they never expected things to get to the point they had, and that “it got out of hand,” the complaint said.
Clark, Baker and Songer are all facing felony counts of conspiracy to commit theft by failing to make the required payment or disposition, theft by failing to make the required payment or disposition, theft by deception and false impressions and retail theft of a sum greater than $1,000.
Clark and Songer’s preliminary hearings are scheduled May 29 in Venango County Central Court.
A preliminary hearing has yet to be scheduled for Baker.
