Manager Charged in Theft Case Involving Over $26,000
LEBANON, MO — A criminal case has been filed in Laclede County against 40-year-old Erika J. Pennington of Buffalo, Missouri. Pennington is accused of stealing over $26,000 in cash deposits from a local business where she worked as a manager.
According to a probable cause statement filed by Officer C. Scott of the Lebanon Police Department, the investigation began after a report was made on March 5, 2025. The business owner alleged Pennington had been keeping cash deposits instead of turning them in. After reviewing financial records and conducting an internal audit, it was discovered that deposits dating back to September 2023 were missing, with a total of $26,506.28 unaccounted for.
The report indicates that Pennington admitted to taking the money during a video-recorded conversation. Some of the stolen funds were found hidden in the office after her termination on March 5, 2025, but most were never recovered.
The Laclede County Prosecuting Attorney filed formal charges on June 20, 2025. A summons was issued, and Pennington is scheduled to appear before Judge Steve Jackson on August 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in Laclede County Circuit Court.
This is not Pennington’s first court case; records show a previous civil case for breach of contract filed in 2013 in Miller County