Women Charged With Stealing Thousands Of Dollars From Guthrie Employer

Two Guthrie women have been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from their employer.

Tuesday, July 8th 2014, 6:53 pm

By: News 9

Women Charged With Stealing Thousands Of Dollars From Guthrie Employer

Two Guthrie women have been charged with stealing thousands of dollars from their employer.

Guthrie Police arrested Phyllis Austin and her daughter, Teresa Little, on charges of embezzlement by an employee. The women are former employees of Lori Fellers, a single mom who has owned Artistic Tile and Marble for a year.

Austin and Little are accused of stealing more than $10,000 from Fellers while Fellers took time off to care for a sick relative.

Fellers said she noticed money missing, but it was hard to figure out exactly how much. That was when her 9-year-old daughter grabbed crayons and paper, then went to work.

6/18/2014 Related Story: Young Guthrie Girl Takes Action Following Alleged Embezzlement

Ava wrote a letter, asking customers who had paid cash during the time in question to report the transaction to her mother. She put the letter at the front of the store and customers came forward. That helped Guthrie police get a better idea of the stolen amount.

When confronted, court documents said Austin told Fellers, "It was just a mistake. I am sorry." and repaid her nearly $2,000.

However, police said Austin and Little did not make a single cash deposit into Fellers' account for six months while they were in charge of the store. Little and Austin are both out on bond.