Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – A former Jonesboro store manager accused of using glue and fake numbers to mask a two-month embezzlement scheme has pleaded guilty and been ordered to pay back his former employer.
On Oct. 5, Cameron Scott Cooper, 47, entered a negotiated guilty plea to one felony count of theft of property greater than $5,000 but less than $25,000, and four counts of second-degree forgery. Circuit Court Judge Chris Thyer sentenced Cooper to 60 months of supervised probation.
Court documents also stated that Cooper must pay $16,933.75 in restitution through the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office. These payments are structured in regular monthly installments of $210 beginning on Nov. 1. This is in addition to various court costs and fines and being required to enroll in and complete a course to obtain his GED.
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The sentencing brings a close to an embezzlement investigation that began when a Jonesboro business owner reported missing cash deposits.
According to a probable cause affidavit, police discovered that between Oct. 3, 2025, and Nov. 29, 2025, Cooper physically altered older bank deposits by gluing fake numbers over the totals to mask the missing funds. He also voided large cash transactions in the store’s point-of-sale system to pocket the money.
When confronted about the discrepancies on Dec. 8, 2025, Cooper claimed a “family emergency” and fled the premises with a deposit bag containing $979.25 and a company laptop before being arrested in late January 2026.
Court documents show that Cooper has had a history of theft and forgery, including a 2019 fraud charge. This led District Judge Tommy Fowler to give Cooper a $75,000 cash-only bond.
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