Woman kept nearly $20K mistakenly paid by employer, police say Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAYFri, April 10, 2026 at 9:39 PM UTC 0 A woman faces a felony theft charge after being arrested for allegedly refusing to return the nearly $20,000 her employer accidentally paid her, police said. Rene Nichole Coleman was charged on Monday, April 6, with theft of more than $5,000 but less than $25,000, a Class C felony in Arkansas.
Woman kept nearly $20K mistakenly paid by employer, police say
Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAYFri, April 10, 2026 at 9:39 PM UTC
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A woman faces a felony theft charge after being arrested for allegedly refusing to return the nearly $20,000 her employer accidentally paid her, police said.
Rene Nichole Coleman was charged on Monday, April 6, with theft of more than $5,000 but less than $25,000, a Class C felony in Arkansas. Coleman's former employer, Superior Senior Care, submitted a theft report to the Jonesboro Police Department, accusing her of stealing $19,388, according to an August 2025 probable cause affidavit obtained by USA TODAY.
Coleman, 50, was typically paid $16.50 per hour, but a payroll error on May 10, 2025, caused her to be paid $1,650 hourly for a 12-hour shift, resulting in the excessive payout.
Once the error was noticed, Coleman refused to return the money, according to the affidavit.
USA TODAY has contacted Superior Senior Care and the Arkansas Public Defender Commission for comment, but has not received a response.
What did Coleman allegedly do with the nearly $20,000?
An Aug. 12, 2025, police incident report obtained by USA TODAY states that Coleman told her former employer she had spent the money on repairs for her husband's semi-truck and did not provide further information.
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A detective said the business supplied financial records and emails to support the claim. The detective then spoke to Coleman on the phone. Coleman agreed to speak to the official about the matter, but failed to do so, the affidavit states.
The department then issued a warrant for Coleman's arrest for felony theft greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000.
When was Coleman arrested?
Coleman wasn't arrested until Monday, April 6, but for an outstanding warrant instead of the alleged theft, police told TV station KAIT. Upon her arrest, she agreed to speak to authorities without an attorney and told police she "didn't pay attention and spent money," adding she tried to offer to pay her employer back.
Coleman was given a $15,000 bond, and her next court date is May 18. As of April 10, Arkansas DOC inmate records do not show that she is in custody.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Woman pocketed nearly $20K mistakenly paid by employer, police say
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Published: April 11, 2026 at 12:54AM on Source: MORNING MAG
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