So I had an employee who embezzled $4,500 from me by forging checks. At the time she worked for me she was pregnant and when arrested she had meth in her car, that was almost exactly two years ago.
Yesterday, I was contacted by the county attorney and asked if I was still willing to press charges and testify. As a former law enforcement my first instinct was "heck yes, put her in jail" but then after doing some digging I started to question that thinking.
Shortly after he initial arrest, she enrolled in a 45 day, in treatment facility. Since that time she has been enrolled in a 12 step program and while she admits to having a few stumbles along the way, she is supporting her child whom she is raising on her own and her parents report she is doing well with exception of the stumbles.
This creates a moral dilemma for me. The ex cop in me says all drug addicts are liars and master manipulators, the former boss who cared about this employee says it does no one any good to have a felony on their record (she has no other record) and would do he daughter little or no good to send her mom to jail or even prison. (She would be facing 6 felony counts and up to 14 years).
I have only two options with the courts, either I drop it or I pursue it. I am really not sure what to do so I thought I would ask those who have nothing involved. For full disclosure, I think we recovered about $1400 of the money through wages we owed her and let's face facts, no matter what I do the other money is gone.
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