WALTON COUNTY, Fla.–The manager of a Louisiana credit union has been arrested after a traffic stop by police in Florida led to the discovery of a cooler filled with approximately $150,000 in cash.
According to police in Jefferson Parish, La., 34-year-old Alexa Braud of Gretna, La. has been booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on a theft charge after what investigators describe as a cross-jurisdictional probe that followed her car more than 250 miles to the Florida Panhandle, NOLA.com reported.
The investigation kicked off when employees of RiverLand Credit Union discovered money missing from a vault and called police, the report stated.
Walton County deputies pulled over a red Toyota Corolla at the intersection of Florida Highway 285 and U.S. 90 near Mossy Head, where the cash was discovered, NOLA.com said. Gretna police had already issued an alert tying that vehicle to the RiverLand branch after employees reported the missing funds, investigators told the outlet, the report stated.
What Surveillance Video Showed
According to the Gretna Police Department, surveillance video from RiverLand Credit Union shows a woman they identified as Braud going into the vault, stuffing cash into a bag and then leaving the branch, NOLA.com said.
“When other employees arrived later, they reported that money was missing from the vault and told officers that cash had also been removed from a teller drawer,” NOLA.com added, citing statements from authorities.
What’s Next
Braud faces one count of theft valued at more than $25,000, officials said. The allegation is a felony-level theft charge, and prosecutors will decide whether to file formal charges once investigators finish reviewing surveillance footage, branch records and other evidence, NO:A.com reported.
