A Flippin woman has been arrested for stealing lottery tickets and cashing them in at a Mountain Home store where she worked and processing fake product refunds. Facing two felony charges is 21-year-old Mackenzie Mae Hayes.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Mountain Home Police Department, a store manager at Town & Country Discount Foods notified police Hayes had been stealing lottery tickets while working as a cashier, scratching them off and then scanning them to determine which ones were winning tickets. She would then throw away the losing tickets, cash in the winning tickets and pocket the cash. The activity was recorded on the store’s surveillance cameras.
When confronted by store management, Hayes admitted she had been doing this for several months. She admitted to having $175 of the store’s money in her purse which she handed over to managers at that time.
While reviewing surveillance video, it was also determined Hayes had been processing fake product refunds and pocketing the cash.
The total amount of theft between the lottery tickets and fake refunds totaled over $1,500.
Hayes is facing felony charges of theft of property and lottery fraud. She is free after posting $2,500 bond.
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