ELKHART, Ind. -- A former employee for Lochmandy Motors is accused of stealing from the business over the course of five years.

64-year-old Julie Hostetler is charged with Theft with a Property Value greater than $50,000. According to court documents, the money was allegedly stolen between January 2019 and June 2024, amounting to approximately $232,205.84.

According to court documents, Lochmandy Motors also has a private finance company located in Elkhart. In July 2024, an accounting manager reported to police that she noticed a suspicious entry from "accounts receivable."

When Hostetler was approached about this, she reportedly became flustered and did not have any answers. Then, on July 19, Hostetler sent an email that she was having health issues and would be resigning. In another email sent July 26, Hostetler allegedly admitted to "poor judgement in business dealings" and said she wanted to make things right.

During an internal investigation, the manager found that Hostetler allegedly stole cash from locations she oversaw that was meant to be deposited into the bank. Instead, Hostetler would reportedly make false entries to cover up the discrepancies and change deposit slips.

The company also discovered that Hostetler's sister, who also worked for the company for some time, was at times paid by her in cash. She would then later be paid again by payroll checks. Hostetler allegedly made further entries that reimbursed herself for expenses that she may have not made.