A former employee of the Lake Fork Special Utility District has been arrested and charged with stealing around $300,000 over the past three years.

The Wood County Sheriff’s Dept. has been investigating a possible theft from the district since June, when it was reported that about $40,000 was missing.

The investigation uncovered more than $300,000 missing from 2021-2023, according to the arrest affidavit.

The utility district board first reported about $11,000 missing, however office manager Rachel Sneed admitted taking $45,000 when confronted about the missing funds.

She said she had taken the money because she and her husband were behind on their bills.

An accountant confirmed that $123,000 was missing from August 2022 to January 2023, all stolen by Sneed.

A final total was reported on July 18 by the accountant of $357,336.

The sheriff’s department obtained an arrest warrant Sept. 19, and Sneed turned herself in Sept. 20. She was released later that day on a $100,000 bond.

The arrest affidavit requests a warrant for first degree theft. However county jail records show she was charged with theft of more than $150,000 and less than $300,000, a second degree felony.

Sneed’s attorney’s office advised they had come up with a total on Aug. 30 of $293,555 for which Sneed would be responsible for any restitution in the case.

According to Wood County deed records, Sneed and her husband purchased a home with a Mineola address in July 2022, and the home was sold in August 2023.