Fouke woman pleads guilty in embezzlement
NEW BOSTON, Texas—A Fouke, Ark., woman pleaded guilty Monday to embezzling more than $70,000 from a Texarkana, Texas, business where she once worked.
Latisha Nicole Jenkins McMurry, 33, appeared before 102nd District Judge Bobby Lockhart in a second-floor courtroom of the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston with Texarkana lawyer Michael Friedman. McMurry has been in custody since Thursday when Lockhart revoked her bond because of a drug-related arrest in Miller County, Ark., and an arrest for shoplifting in Texarkana, Texas, which were made after her arrest for stealing more than Texarkana Parts and Logistics.
McMurry appeared Monday in cuffs and shackles. After pleading guilty to theft in aggregate amounts between $30,000 and $150,000 and to theft under $2,500 with two or more prior convictions, Lockhart reinstated McMurry’s bond with additional restrictions.
McMurry must be outfitted with a GPS leg monitor and can only leave her home with official permission. Lockhart told McMurry she will be drug tested at least twice a month and mentioned previous tests which have shown positive results for methamphetamine. Lockhart scheduled McMurry for formal sentencing in August to give the Bowie County Community Supervision and Corrections Department opportunity to conduct a presentence investigation and a report which will include a sentencing recommendation and the amount of restitution owed to McMurry’s victim, Texarkana Parts and Logistics.
According to a probable cause affidavit, McMurry is accused of embezzling more than $74,000 from the business.
McMurry allegedly altered bank records to make it appear $74,198.10 in debit card charges to Texarkana Parts and Logistics made between July 2014 and February 2016 were for legitimate business expenses, according to a probable-cause affidavit used to create the following account.
The owner of Texarkana Parts and Logistics reported that he discovered a shortage in the company’s Bancorp South account and asked McMurry, whose duties included purchasing, accounting, office management and access to the company debit card, for copies of bank statements, which she provided.
The statements McMurry provided to her boss and statements acquired directly from the bank allegedly differed significantly. The statements which came directly from the bank reportedly showed numerous and repeated charges to Capital One, Nissan finance, Verizon, AT&T, Barclays, Richardson Waste, Southwest Arkansas Electric Cooperative and Dish Network which did not benefit Texarkana Parts and Logistics in any way. The business owner told detectives McMurry was never given permission to use the company debit card for her personal use. McMurry allegedly admitted to the embezzlement during an interview with Texarkana, Texas, detectives on March 23, 2016.
When confronted with a May 21 arrest for shoplifting from Target in Texarkana, Texas, at her pretrial hearing last week, McMurry proclaimed her innocence to
Lockhart and suggested that video surveillance would prove her lack of guilt. Monday morning McMurry pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to a probable cause affidavit, McMurry attempted to hide approximately $51 worth of clothing under her purse as she shopped. A loss prevention associate, who was “familiar with McMurry stemming from previous incidents of this nature,” stopped McMurry as she attempted to leave the store without paying for the merchandise. McMurry told a Texarkana, Texas, investigator she hadn’t planned on shoplifting when she entered the store but that it “just kind of happened,” the affidavit states.
McMurry faces two to 10 years in prison on the felony theft involving embezzlement and six months to two years in a Texas state jail for the shoplifting offense. McMurry could be sentenced to probation on either of the Bowie County cases.
McMurry is expected to be sentenced for the theft offenses in Bowie County in August. Charges related to alleged possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in Miller County remain pending.
According to a probable cause affidavit on file in McMurry’s drug case in Miller County, McMurry was stopped by sheriff’s deputies on Interstate 49 because the registration on a 2015 Honda Accord she was driving was expired.
McMurry allegedly admitted she was driving on a suspended license after giving the deputy her Arkansas identification card. McMurry’s daughter, whose age is not identified in the affidavit, was released at the scene to a family member. When deputies inventoried McMurry’s car they found a brown purse with a syringe inside which contained an unknown residue. A purple Crown Royal whiskey bag discovered on the car’s floor board allegedly contained five more syringes, digital scales, five-and-a-half unknown pills and a pink container which held several bags of suspected methamphetamine.
McMurry has been charged in Miller County with possession of methamphetamine under two grams. The offense is punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.
llarowe@texarkanagazette.com