Woman charged with additional 59 counts for stealing from former employer

ASHBURN, GA (WALB) - A former office manager is in jail Wednesday night after Turner County deputies said she took thousands of dollars from her old employer.

Kristy Reynolds, 37, was arrested and charged in February on 14 counts for writing and cashing company checks but she made bond. On Wednesday, Reynolds was charged with an additional 59 charges of felony financial card transaction fraud.

WALB spoke with Wendy Smith, her former co-worker, who was caught off guard by the allegations.

“I loved her as a person,” Smith said.

Smith is the office manager at Suncrest Stone Inc. now. She took over after deputies said Reynolds turned herself in Wednesday for reportedly taking money from the company.

“The owners couldn’t get into the banking accounts into the systems," Smith said. "We now realize that she was blocking it.”

Investigators started looking at the case in October 2018.

Smith said Reynolds had only worked for the company for just four days when the money started to disappear.

“Within four or five days of them being able to access, they realized that something was wrong that there were large numbers missing,” Smith said.

Deputies also said Reynolds allegedly stole by using the co-owner’s credit card.

For months, investigators had to sort through 10,000 emails to link her to the case.

“Suncrest Stone was pretty persistent during the investigation but I think they wanted some resolution a lot quicker then we were able to make it," Andy Hester, Turner County sheriff, said "But it takes (a lot), whenever you have these transaction card thefts, to go through all the paperwork,” said Hester.

Deputies said the suspect took more than $13,000 from the company’s checking account and more than $22,000 from the co-owner’s credit card.

“Now really sitting back and realizing she really wasn’t who I thought she was, and to be so close, I mean our offices were just feet apart,” Smith said. “I worked with her side by side every day.”

Smith said Reynolds worked at Suncrest Stone for just four short months and she knew Reynolds personally and though she wishes her the best, she wants justice to be served.

“I don’t wish her any harm. It’s a terrible situation,” Smith said. “It was very hard going through and has continued to be hard.”

Deputies said Reynolds has not had her first hearing.

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