The investigation is continuing into allegations that a senior worker in the accounting department at the county’s nursing home took money.

Tina Clinton, 35, of 14726 C. R. Koon Highway, Newberry, was arrested and charged Jan. 14 with breach of trust over $5,000 by Newberry police.

A bank teller’s miscalculation led nursing home officials to notice something was amiss with the accounting systems.

The teller called the Springfield Place and J.F. Hawkins Nursing Home complex during the Christmas holiday, to notify Clinton she had accidentally dispensed too much money when Clinton was cashing Social Security checks.

After a check of bank records, police were called to investigate the case.

Since Clinton’s termination from employment with the county and her arrest, county external auditors have spent several days combing through the records at Springfield Place and J.F. Hawkins Nursing Home.

County Administrator Wayne Adams says it appears that Clinton took money by cashing Social Security checks that were intended for the facility to make up for shortfalls in patients’ Medicaid payments.

As financial shortfalls for the patients’ care were not met, Medicaid made up for the missing amount by sending the care facility additional funds.

Nursing home Chief Financial Officer Glenn Wicker said the Social Security checks that were turned into cash never appeared in the home’s bookkeeping.

But since Medicaid made up for the lack of funds, the federal insurance program could hold the county responsible for returning the additional money it paid out on those patients’ accounts.

The county is bonded, or insured, to cover incidents such as this. Depending on how much money was taken, the county could collect up to $900,000 from two security bonds to cover the theft.

Wicker said due to the way the alleged embezzlement was “crafted, detection would have been difficult.”

Annual audits by the county did not pick up on any missing money at the facility, which has had numerous financial hardships and troubles.

County officials are saying the amount of money taken may be well in excess of $20,000.

Auditors are waiting on information from the bank to complete the next step in the audit and investigation.

Authorities have no idea how long the investigation will last.