Former Town of Ball employee arrested for stealing city funds

BALL, La. (CALF) – The Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office reported that a woman was arrested on September 26th for stealing money from the town of Ball.

The city of Ball said it fired Shinitria Gaines, 48, of Pineville and then conducted an internal review. An internal review revealed possible financial discrepancies, following which the case was referred to RPSO for criminal investigation.

On Thursday, Ball Mayor Gail Wilking released the following statement regarding the arrest:

RPSO said Ball City Council contacted authorities on August 29 regarding a possible embezzlement of city funds.

RPSO reportedly conducted interviews and analyzed the city's finances. Investigators then determined that a crime had been committed, established probable cause and obtained a warrant for Gaines' arrest.

On Thursday, the RPSO arrested Gaines without incident and booked her into the Rapides Parish Detention Center. She reportedly remains in custody and no bail has been set at this time. She is charged with theft between $5,000 and $25,000.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact RPSO at (318) 473-6727.

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