Woman arrested for stealing from ex-husband's business in rural Nebraska

STANTON, Nebraska (KTIV) – A woman was arrested after a theft occurred at a store in rural Stanton County, Nebraska.

On Thursday, August 15, 51-year-old Jennifer Johnson was arrested on a Stanton County warrant for grand larceny.

According to court documents, the Stanton County Sheriff's Office began investigating a reported theft at Johnson's Ornamental Iron, a company that makes handrails in Stanton County. According to the documents, Johnson was a former employee and ex-wife of the company's owner.

According to court documents, during his employment at the company, Johnson was allegedly responsible for the company's financial aspects, such as paying bills and receiving payments and deposits from customers.

According to authorities, after her divorce became final in November 2023, Johnson was asked to train an employee on tasks previously assigned to Johnson, giving her access to company records while the employee was present.

According to the documents, the training period ended in February 2024.

“Jennifer Johnson was taken into custody and booked into the sheriff's office. A theft report has been filed alleging that more than $13,000 was stolen from a previous employer in Stanton,” the Stanton County Sheriff's Office said.

Court documents show that a company employee discovered 12 undeposited or unpaid amounts of money that had been endorsed and transferred to a private bank account reportedly belonging to Johnson.

The Stanton County Sheriff's Office says Johnson has a previous theft conviction, which occurred in 2000. It involved a large sum of money from the Stanton County School District, where she was previously employed as a recreation secretary. The Sheriff's Office says she pleaded guilty to a lesser theft charge, received probation and ordered to pay more than $11,000 in restitution in that case.

The sheriff's office said: “Johnson posted a $100,000 bail bond and a $10,000 cash surety and is scheduled to appear in Stanton District Court next month.”

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