NORWAY — Local police said the manager of the Cumberland Farms store on Main Street has been charged with stealing cash and money orders from the business.

Laura Lavalley, 46, of 1098 State Route 121 in Otisfield, admitted to police that she had taken the money to pay for her son’s student loan and her rent, according to investigators.

Police said they were contacted by the store’s loss prevention investigator who originally came to the store to investigate an inventory shortage of $6,159. He discovered Lavalley had taken two money orders on Sept. 16, made out to her landlord in the amount of $832. She was seen putting them into her purse, police said.

The store investigator further discovered she had taken $1,543.75 in cash from the manager’s safe on Oct. 16. Lavalley was seen removing the cash from the safe on video surveillance. She did not document it, according to police reports.

She was confronted by the investigator and the area sales manager and admitted to the theft, police said.

Norway Police Detective Gary Hill and investigator Jeffrey Campbell went to Lavalley’s residence, where she admitted taking the cash for her son’s loans and the money order to pay her rent because she did not have time to go to the bank, according to police reports.

She told police she had been paying the money back and thought it was about $400 to $500. She told police she was willing to pay all the money back, police said.

Lavalley was charged Oct. 28 and is to appear in court Dec. 17.

asheehan@sunmediagroup.net