Rochester, MN (KROC AM News) - An Austin woman has been charged with stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a Stewartville business.

A criminal complaint has been filed in Olmsted County Court, charging 41-year-old Trina Engler with five counts of felony theft.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office was contacted last year by the administrator of Stewartville Care Center. The company operates several apartment buildings. The administrator told an investigator it was suspected Engler had embezzled a large amount of money and benefits over a 5-year period.

An investigation found Engler never deposited more than $50,000 in rents and security deposits from tenants; made personal purchases with a company credit card totaling more than $14,000; used $13,000 in petty cash to mostly purchase Kwik Trip gift cards; and, may have collected unearned PTO benefits totaling more than $6,000.

The criminal complaint says Engler told the investigator “her spending habits had gotten way out of control” and that she was “spending way beyond her means.”

Engler was fired last August. She has been ordered to make her first court appearance next month.

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