By Caitlan Butler
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Ladajah M. Coleman, 21, of Strong and Lisa Hill, 23, of Junction City accepted plea agreements in the First Division of the Circuit Court of Union County. They were both facing property theft charges.
According to court records, both Coleman and Hill were employees at Walmart in El Dorado when the thefts took place. It is unclear how they became suspects in the thefts, but El Dorado police interviewed Hill on Oct. 4, where she incriminated both herself and Coleman.
Hill, who worked in sporting goods, told officers she would sometimes find dropped receipts for tires purchased at Walmart. She said she would take them and process a return, keeping the money for herself.
Hill said Coleman also became involved when she began taking photos of receipts in the automotive office and processing those as returns as well.
A manager at Walmart told officers the theft totaled about $9,260 all together. He said he tried to interview Coleman about the thefts but was unsuccessful when she quit after he asked her about it.
The day after Hill’s police interview, Coleman surrendered herself to the Union County Sheriff’s Office. She told police she’d helped to steal about $5,000 from Walmart, only $600 of which she kept for herself.
Thursday, both women pleaded guilty to theft of property valued between $5,000 and $25,000.
Coleman’s plea agreement will allow her to enter the Alternative Sentencing Program (ASP). If she meets the requirements of the program, she will be able to withdraw her guilty plea and her case will most likely be dismissed after she pays her restitution.
ASP includes many of the same requirements as probation, such as regularly meeting with a probation officer and submitting to drug tests. Coleman was also ordered to pay $4,674.93 in restitution.
Hill was sentenced to five years probation. In addition to $4,674.93 in restitution, she was also ordered to pay court costs and fees.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].