Husband Finds Out Wife Stole $1,200 from Zoo Gift Shop

A Carlsbad, New Mexico woman is accused of using a nonprofit gift shop’s debit card to pay nearly $1,200 in personal bills. Andria Hernandez, 51, worked for the Carlsbad Horticultural Society, which operates a gift shop inside Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. Police began investigating after the gift shop manager reported that a personal water bill had been paid using the organization’s debit card. Investigators said the charge was linked to Hernandez’s overdue water account. When police confronted her at her home, Hernandez initially claimed that another employee may have used the card. However, after officers presented her with evidence connecting the payment to her account, she admitted that she had used the card to pay her water bill. According to police, Hernandez said she was able to access the card because it was kept in a filing cabinet at the gift shop. Hernandez is facing 20 felony counts, including embezzlement and issuing bad checks. She has pleaded not guilty and was scheduled for a jury trial in November.