HERMISTON — An employee of a local restaurant was arrested after management discovered she had allegedly been stealing from the eatery for several months through altering and adding money to receipts after the bill was signed by the purchaser, according to a press release.

Spring Hartinger was arrested on Saturday, Dec. 12, after Hermiston police received a note on Dec. 8 that a local restaurant owner, who was contacted by a credit card company disputing a charge at the establishment, had found five altered receipts and 71 more with money added to them, the press release said. The owner provided the receipts to local law enforcement.

Hartinger, 48, is alleged to have fraudulently obtained $618.87 from the establishment. She was arrested on 76 counts of computer crime, five counts of forgery and one count of aggregate theft, the press release said. Her bail was initially set for $790,000.

Further investigation showed more unspecified information from 2018 and 2019 as well, the press release said, adding the investigating officer consulted with the Umatilla County District Attorney’s office and that charges were likely to be added.

Later on Monday, Dec. 14, Hartinger’s charges had changed on the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office website. She is now charged with 20 counts of computer crime, five counts of second-degree forgery, and four counts of second-degree theft, and her bail has increased to $820,000, according to the website.