Woman says she stole from employer to keep children

WAILUKU — A woman who said she was trying to keep custody of her three children when she stole more than $25,000 from her employer was ordered to repay the money as part of her probation.

Ashley Thomas, 29, of Lahaina was ordered to make a first payment of $6,000 this week after she said she had put aside the amount to repay Crocs.

She was working at the store on Front Street in Lahaina when she didn’t make deposits, instead stealing the money from June to August last year, said Deputy Public Defender Tyler Stevenson.

“I made a horrible decision,” Thomas said when she was sentenced June 5. “I did it not thinking.”

Thomas took the money to give to her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children to keep him from taking the children from her, Stevenson said.

“That was part of the reason for taking these payments, but that doesn’t seem to be the entirety of it,” he said. “This was a modest job she had, and she was trying to live in Lahaina with three young children.”

Stevenson said Thomas doesn’t have a lavish lifestyle and has no prior criminal record.

“She found herself grabbing out of the cookie jar a couple of cookies at a time and before you know it, the entire jar is gone,” he said. “There’s no excuse for it.”

Thomas had pleaded no contest to first-degree theft.

While she asked for a chance to keep the conviction off her record, the prosecution opposed the request.

“Other businesses, the defendant’s future employers, have a right to know what she did,” said Deputy Prosecutor Lyle Keanini. “The defendant stole over $25,000 over a period of three months and was only stopped because she was caught.

“This had a tremendous impact on their business.”

Second Circuit Judge Richard Bissen asked Thomas if all the stolen money went to her children’s father.

“Honestly, I don’t know how much I took,” Thomas said. “I was trying to cover up what I was doing.”

Bissen denied Thomas’ request to keep the conviction off her record.

He said Thomas took the money “as a loan from the company that they didn’t know they were loaning, no different than a person who offers to pay for an item they’re shoplifting after they’re caught.”

Thomas reported she was working full time for another employer who knew about the theft.

“I think the light’s going to be shined a little brighter on her,” Bissen said. “All of the temptations still exist.”

Thomas was given credit for three days she previously spent in jail.

As part of her four years’ probation, she was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

After making the first $6,000 payment toward $25,771 in restitution, Thomas was ordered to make monthly payments of $250.

“My first priority is that this company be repaid,” Judge Bissen said. “If that doesn’t happen, she’ll give me no choice but to send her to jail instead, notwithstanding her three young children.”

She was ordered not to enter the Crocs store.

Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.