A woman from Arkansas is facing accusations of keeping nearly $20,000 that was accidentally paid to her by her employer and is reportedly refusing to return it.
Rene Nicole Coleman, who is 50 years old, has been charged with felony theft after receiving an unusually high pay rate—$1,650 per hour for 12-hour shifts—while working at Superior Senior Care, a home care company located in Jonesboro, near Memphis. Typically, she earned $16.50 an hour, but a payroll error led to this huge discrepancy.
On May 10, 2025, an erroneous deposit of $19,388 landed in her bank account, as highlighted in a probable cause affidavit.
When her employer discovered the mistake, they asked for the money back, but Coleman allegedly declined to return it.
Consequently, Superior Senior Care reported the situation to the Jonesboro police.
On April 6, Craighead County District Judge David Bowling officially charged Coleman with theft of more than $5,000 but less than $25,000, which is classified as a Class C felony in Arkansas. To support their claims, the company provided financial documentation and emails.
According to police reports, Coleman informed her employer that she had already used the funds for repairing her husband’s semi-truck.
However, she did not elaborate on her spending, leaving investigators with questions.
Detectives attempted to reach her by phone, and Coleman agreed to meet them to discuss the matter, but she didn’t show up.
Eventually, a warrant was issued for her arrest regarding the missing funds.
Though she wasn’t taken into custody immediately, Coleman was arrested on April 6, facing another outstanding warrant, as reported by local news.
After her arrest, she agreed to talk to officers without legal representation.
During the conversation, she acknowledged her carelessness in spending the money, claiming she later attempted to repay her former employer.
Her bond has been set at $15,000, and she is scheduled for a court appearance on May 18. As of April 10, state records did not indicate that she was in custody.
This case is now set to unfold in court.
