A 49-year-old Arnold woman’s apparent good intentions have led her astray of the law, authorities reported.
While working for Easterseals Midwest, the woman allegedly used EBT cards assigned to a pair of St. Louis County siblings to purchase food for others. The woman, who was responsible for purchasing groceries for the siblings – a 24-year-old woman and 27-year-old man – used their EBT cards at Walmart, Schnucks and Dierbergs stores in Arnold. She allegedly charged $1,804.11 on one card and $719.61 on the other, Arnold Police reported.
She also used the cards at stores in Fenton, bringing the alleged illegal use of the cards up to about $3,200, the report said.
Arnold Police Cpl. Brett Ackerman said the woman told police the state of Missouri was going to take back the extra money allotted to the EBT accounts, so she thought instead of letting the state get the money, it would be better to use it to buy groceries and donate them to some people in Arnold she knew were in need. The woman would not say who she gave the groceries to, although she said some of the food was donated to a food pantry in Wentzville. She would not name the food pantry, and she did not have donation receipts, Ackermann said.
The woman turned herself into police on Feb. 9 and reportedly admitted to using the cards to purchase groceries in Arnold and Fenton. The woman also allegedly admitted to fraudulently using the cards when she resigned from Easterseals Midwest, which reported the fraud on Jan. 28, Arnold Police reported.
The woman was arrested, booked and released pending application for warrants, Ackermann said. He said Arnold Police will seek felony charges against the woman through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for unlawful use of a credit device.