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Charges dropped against former Fayetteville nursing home employees

Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against three former Fayetteville Health & Rehab employees accused of theft and credit card fraud.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against three former Fayetteville Health & Rehab employees accused of defrauding the nursing home, saying a civil suit against the women will better solve the dispute.

Diana Vanwinkle, 47, Kristy Kennamer-Hunt, 52, and Nichole Brennom, 42, were accused of spending $14,000 from a nursing home account on personal items instead of buying supplies for the facility, according to Washington County Circuit Court documents.

All three faced felony charges of theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card.

Two felony counts of conspiracy to commit theft and credit card fraud against a fourth former employee, Jennifer Allyson Thumser, were dropped in January.

In November 2016, a nursing home administrator noticed discrepancies in the facility’s Harps Foods invoices, including some which should’ve come to her that had already been approved.

The administrator then requested Harps surveillance footage and allegedly found Brennom, Kennamer-Hunt and Vanwinkle shopping in the store despite failing to have proper authorization to use the facility’s credit card, according to court documents.

While the women mainly purchased miscellaneous items, invoices show some of the $14,772.67 was spent on more than 25 gift cards, according to court documents.

All four women have been named in a civil conversion suit filed by the nursing home. The women have denied several of the allegations.

The facility is seeking restitution as well as punitive damages, according to court documents.

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