We're not entirely sure what separates good accountants from bad accountants, but we can say with some certainty that only a terrible accountant would get caught stealing cash several times.
That said, 39-year-old west Valley accountant Michelle Hice is allegedly a terrible accountant.
Hice was fired from an accounting firm in October, after the IRS informed the Buckeye Veterinarian Clinic -- where Hice had been daily accounting, payroll, and bills for the past
year -- that it didn't pony up for taxes.
The clinic turned over the books to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which discovered that Hice wrote checks to herself for $130,000, according to court documents obtained by New Times.
During this investigation, investigators subpoenaed Hice's bank statements, and found out she was getting a healthy amount of money from a Goodyear church. That church confirmed they hired Hice to do accounting for $300 per month.
That's a problem, since Hice had deposited more than $25,000 in checks from the church since October, according to the court documents.
According to a statement from MCSO Sergeant Brandon Jones, Hice has "possibly" been depositing checks from other Valley businesses.
Hice was arrested yesterday, and investigators found a handgun in her possession.
That's only a problem because Hice is on probation -- "for the same crime committed in 2006" Jones says.
For good measure, court documents state Hice had two stolen credit cards in her possession when she was arrested, too.
She faces four felony charges.
