A Loyalhanna Township woman was sentenced Friday to seven years of probation for taking nearly $127,000 from her former employer.

Deborah L. Baker, 53, told Judge Christopher Feliciani that the money went to support her husband’s painkiller addiction.

“This money was being siphoned off solely for his habit,” attorney Dennis Rafferty said.

Baker was arrested in April 2019 after police said she took the money between July 2016 and March 2019 during her job as a cashier at Scott Electric. Investigators said she deposited checks from some customers into her own personal account and accepted credit cards for payment, voided the orders and then refunded the money onto her debit card, according to court papers.

She pleaded guilty to a felony theft count Friday. The remaining charges were dismissed, said Assistant District Attorney Christina Gongaware. Baker was ordered to spend six months on home electronic monitoring. Feliciani accepted the prosecution’s recommended sentence as part of a plea bargain despite opposition from Scott Electric.

A company representative said in court that Scott Electric wasn’t in agreement with the offer.

Feliciani at first said he was “somewhat hesitant” to accept the plea agreement after hearing of the company’s stance, but decided to go forward with it after listening to what Baker, who has no criminal history, had to say. Rafferty said she plans to cash in retirement accounts as soon as possible and put all of the funds toward restitution.

“We’re going to turn over every nickel that’s in these accounts,” he said.

If Baker is able to pay all of the restitution within two years, prosecutors could agree to terminate her probation early.

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