Woman charged with stealing $150K from Springfield kennel

A local woman has been charged with stealing at least $150,000 from a Springfield kennel over several years.

Heather Nelson, 39, of Cedarville, pleaded not guilty to charges of theft and tampering with records last week, according to court records.

She’s charged with stealing from her employer over multiple years, Clark County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Smith said.

Nelson was managing King Kennel, 20 Critter Court in Springfield, for several years, said Richard Mayhall, an attorney for the kennel’s owner, Dr. Dana King. The owner discovered abnormalities in the kennel’s files and went to police, Mayhall said.

A grand jury hearing that returned an indictment against Nelson lasted three and a half hours, Clark County Prosecutor Andrew Wilson said.

The thefts were made in $100 to $200 increments over several years, Mayhall said, so the grand jury had a lot of transactions to look over.

Mayhall expects several months before the next court date.

“It’s extremely complicated,” he said.

Nelson was released on her own recognizance. A future court date hasn’t been set, Smith said.

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