SHERYL L. DEPRIEST, d/o/b 9-11-1966, of Benton, Arkansas, pled guilty Thursday, April 10, 2014, to the class C felony of forgery in the Circuit Court of Taney County. Judge Mark Orr sentenced Depriest to serve four (4) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, pursuant to a plea agreement.

On September 20, 2013, an employee at Mercy health center in Springfield noticed her purse missing from the locker where she left it. The next day, the employee was alerted to fraudulent charges on her credit card – including a $285.00 charge at a Branson business. Branson Police Officer Frank Hirahara led the local investigation, and – using phone records of the Branson business – was able to contact a woman in Arkansas who identified Depriest as a possible suspect in using the stolen credit card. That investigative lead resulted in witnesses at the Branson business identifying Depriest in a photo line-up as the woman who used the credit card.

“This case is an example of cooperation and tenacious investigative work by officers from Branson and Springfield,” said Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell. “Quality investigations – such as this – result in quality prosecution.”