Former Elkhart Jail Employee Stole $27K from Inmate Accounts

GOSHEN, Ind. — A former booking specialist at the Elkhart County Jail has turned herself in after an investigation revealed she stole over $27,000 from former inmates’ secure Trust Fund accounts.

26-year-old Haley Atherton, who began working at the jail in June 2023 and has since been terminated, was formally charged following a police investigation that began on June 9. The alarm was first raised when a jail secretary found a small, unresolvable $22.25 deficit in a former inmate’s Trust Fund account. Detectives discovered the inmate had been released over a year prior and had not authorized any transactions.

The investigation uncovered a pattern of theft spanning from July 2024 to June of this year. Atherton skimmed funds from several former inmate accounts and used the money to create over 600 unauthorized debit card. Security footage captured her creating the cards and then using them at various businesses, including a Meijer and a smoke shop.

When confronted on June 18, Atherton admitted to the theft, explaining she was struggling with financial issues. She claimed no one taught her how to exploit the system, and while she “knew they would care,” she justified her actions because she “didn’t want to starve or lose this or that,” admitting to using the money for dinner or toward a new car.

A probable cause affidavit compiling the transactions and evidence was over 200 pages long. In total, Atherton is accused of stealing $27,239.49. Expressing remorse, she told police she would “take it on the chin and deal with what comes from this.”

Atherton was formally charged on September 22, and arrest warrant was issued on Monday. She turned herself into the jail on Tuesday. Court records indicate her bail has been set at $3,000 surety or $300 cash.