By Shereen Siewert

WAUSAU — A 43-year-old woman accused of stealing nearly $80,000 from her Weston-based employer and more than $5,000 from a Schofield business will spend seven months in jail and five years on probation.

Kim Poirier, of Withee, was sentenced this week in Marathon County Circuit Court after being convicted of theft in a business setting and fraudulent use of a credit card. Judge Mike Moran ordered a withheld sentence, which means if Poirier does not follow the rules of her probation, she will return to court to be sentenced on the felony charges and would then face up to the maximum penalty — up to 16 years in prison.

In the largest case, filed in May 2017, Poirier is accused of stealing $77,150.29 from a business in Weston. There, a review of company records revealed Poirier wrote dozens of checks to herself while working at the business, police said.

In a second Marathon County case, an investigation began March 20 when the Schofield business’ owners called police to report a number of unauthorized charges appeared on their credit card and bank statements. Police say they traced those charges to Poirier, who was hired by the business Feb. 1.

In less than a two-week span, police say, Poirier funneled thousands from the business, paying for car repairs, her AAA membership, cell phone and cable bills, and cashing an unauthorized check, among other charges. The business suffered a total loss of $5,379.16, according to court documents.

She faced similar charges in Clark County and in Eau Claire County, court records show.

In the Eau Claire case, Poirier’s Altoona employer told police Poirier stole cash payments from customers and made unauthorized credit card purchases totaling thousands of dollars. When questioned about discrepancies in company records, Poirier abruptly left work and said her son had been injured and she needed to go to the hospital. She said she didn’t know when she could return to work because her son was in a coma, according to the criminal complaint. When Poirier was arrested four days later, police learned Poirier did not have a son who was in a coma.

She is also serving a five-year probation term in the Eau Claire and Clark County cases.

Poirier will begin serving her sentence immediately and will be eligible for Huber release for work, school or treatment, court records show.