Woman arrested after being overpaid for shifts and refusing to give the money back

A woman has been arrested in the US after police said she refused to hand back money that had landed in her account by mistake.

On paper, it’s a straightforward crime, but it is the type of story that has the potential to split opinions once people hear about it. After all, plenty of people can understand the temptation when unexpected money shows up, especially at a time when wages feel tight and bills do not exactly wait around — more so as the cost of living has been going up lately.

So, while the arrest itself has grabbed attention, the bigger conversation online has quickly turned into whether people really believe they would act any differently in the same situation.

According to reports, 50-year-old Rene Nichole Coleman of Jonesboro, Arkansas, was taken into custody after a judge found probable cause to charge her with theft of more than $5,000 but less than $25,000.

A payroll error allegedly paid Coleman far more than her usual rate (Getty Stock Images)

Police say a payroll system error meant she was allegedly paid $1,650 an hour for a 12-hour shift on 10 May 2025, despite usually earning $16.50 an hour. That allegedly left her overpaid by $19,388.

The issue was later reported by the CEO of the business, who told police that Coleman, a former employee, had taken money from the company. An affidavit stated, as confirmed by outlets like WTOC: “When the error was noticed, Coleman refused to pay back the money,” and added: “The victim provided financial documents and emails to support her claim.” Investigators also alleged that a detective reached Coleman by phone and that she agreed to meet police, but never turned up.

She was eventually arrested on an outstanding warrant and taken into custody, with bond set at $15,000 cash or surety. She is expected back in court on 18 May.

Police said the 12-hour shift resulted in a $19,388 overpayment (Bill Oxford/Getty Images)

When the story was shared across social media, including a Pubity post on X (formerly Twitter), some of the replies openly disagreed with the idea that she should have returned the money at all. One person wrote assuming what others would do in Coleman shoes, saying: “Most people do the same. Considering layoff and penny wages in this inflation era”, while another put the blame on the company itself, adding: “Your accounting error is not my problem.”

An additional user doubled down on that sentiment, saying: “The employers are r******d, [making] big errors then [blaming] the employee...then [calling] it theft, sick people getting it wrong everyday over and over.”