Nursery manager faces theft charges

PALMER — A former plant and tree nursery manager faces charges in Superior Court following a grand jury investigation.

Jamie I. Puddicombe, 37, was charged with second-degree theft and falsifying business records. The owner of Northern Lights Nursery notified Alaska State Troopers of potential embezzlement June 29, according to Alaska Court documents.

Puddicombe worked at the nursery from May to June, and set her own hours, but was paid a fixed amount of $322 per week, according to a criminal complaint.

Soon after Puddicombe started work, she began to issue herself more than one paycheck per week, the complaint says, eventually issuing herself 29 checks over the course of eight weeks, court documents show. Puddicombe wrote herself as many as seven paychecks in a single week.

In all, Puddicombe overpaid herself $6,758.01, according to the complaint.

Puddicombe allegedly told investigators the owner “was very generous and kept saying it was OK to have all the money,” the complaint reads in part.

Both counts are Class C felonies. If convicted, Puddicombe faces up to 10 years in prison and $100,000.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.