SANDPOINT - A Bonner County woman is accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from a building supply store over a four-year period.

Monica R. Reeves is charged with grand theft. A preliminary hearing to determine if she should stand trial on the felony charge is set for Nov. 7 in Bonner County Magistrate Court.

Reeves, 31, is free on her own recognizance while the case is pending.

Charging papers allege Reeves perpetrated the thefts from 2008 to 2011, while she was employed as a bookkeeper at Sandpoint Building Supply in Ponderay.

The embezzlements were discovered in December 2011, according to a Ponderay Police report. Reeves allegedly wrote up orders for returned merchandise and applied the proceeds to two of her personal credit cards. She's further accused of stealing cash and then making up nonexistent returns to ensure that the store's tills balanced.

Reeves, the report said, readily confessed to committing the thefts when confronted her with the allegations. She allegedly stated that she was unsure of the amount that was taken, but admitted that it was substantial.

The scope of the embezzlement was initially pegged at $3,700, but a company audit completed in June indicates she took almost 10 times that amount. Company officials contend their total losses amount to $30,779

A summons in the case was issued last month and Reeves made an initial court appearance on Friday. A public defender has been appointed to represent her, court records indicate.

Reeves is the 18th Bonner County resident to be prosecuted for embezzlement since 2005. The summons in her case was filed just eight days after the 17th convicted embezzler was sentenced.