RICHMOND, Ind. – A Wayne County woman is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the Dollar Tree store where she used to work as a manager.

Nicolette Paige Ramsey, 24, of Cambridge City, was arraigned Wednesday in Wayne Superior Court 2 on a charge of theft, a Level 6 felony that carries a maximum sentence of 30 months in prison.

According to an affidavit, on the evening of Sept. 30, Ramsey contacted two employees at the store in the 3500 block of East Main Street in Richmond and offered to drive them to a local bank so they could make the store’s overnight deposit.

However, when they arrived at the bank, a masked man grabbed one of the employees’ deposit bags and fled.

A man described in police reports as Ramsey’s boyfriend, 34-year-old William Christopher Fairchild, has also been charged with theft in connection with the incident.

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After the September 30 incident, Dollar Tree employees told Richmond police that Ramsey had already been suspended from her job after she signed a written confession to stealing $1,800 from the store.

Officials said Ramsey failed to follow company policy by reporting cash shortages to them. During an interview with her employer on Sept. 27, she reportedly admitted to stealing $1,820 in cash and merchandise.

Further investigation revealed that the total amount of money stolen from the store in the weeks leading up to Ramsey’s firing – not including the money stolen on September 30 – exceeded $5,000.

In a later interview, Ramsey reportedly admitted to “staging” the September 30 robbery outside the bank and said Fairchild was her accomplice.

Arrest warrants were issued for Ramsey and Fairchild on Thursday.

Court records show no previous charges against Ramsey.

Fairchild’s criminal record includes convictions for domestic violence with moderate bodily harm, driving under the influence, neglect of a dependent, and illegal possession of a syringe.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Reach him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the Muncie Star Press: Former manager charged with stealing cash from Richmond Dollar Tree store