A Warren County woman who owns a notary business faces 16 charges for stealing a total of nearly $460,000 from an auto repair business and Deerfield Township, according to the criminal complaint.

Brenda Gibson, 57, was arrested and arraigned Monday on 13 felony and three misdemeanor charges for theft and forgery, which were filed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. She was then released on $250,000 unsecured bond.

Gibson maintained the business account payroll for Dyke's Garage in Bear Lake for 16 years, but in late summer, co-owners James and John Dyke learned from a long-term part supplier that their accounts were past due, according to investigators. When they asked about the payment issue, she reportedly told the owners to "work harder" to pay their bills. They then went to two banks to review their business accounts and transactions.

In one account, they discovered many unauthorized and fraudulent transactions from January 2021 to present, which totaled $99,081.47, the criminal complaint said. Many of the checked were made out to Gibson or her business Gibson Notary. Several withdraws were made out to a place in Louisville, Kentucky, where Gibson owns and maintains several horses.

In another account, the Dykes found fraudulent withdraws totaling $35,150, according to investigators. The checks were made out to herself or her notary business.

Deerfield Township also paid Gibson for her work as its secretary and treasurer for the last 6 years during which she managed its accounts and payroll. Township officials said they reviewed their accounts and noticed discrepancies after hearing reports about inappropriate monetary transactions at Gibson's notary business, according to the criminal complaint.

The review found about five fraudulent transactions totaling $111,000 in one account and 21 fraudulent transactions totaling $214,000 in another, both from January 2020 to the present, agents said. There were also transfers from other accounts to cover up the fraud. A balance sheet Gibson prepared for a recent township meeting Sept. 1, showed there was $212,750.18 in all the accounts as of Aug. 31, but the bank said the balance was actually $6,544.54. The township supervisor also told investigators he did not sign eight checks which were endorsed along with Gibson's name, according to investigators.

Gibson is set to appear before District Judge Todd Woodin Oct. 26 at 10:30 a.m. for her preliminary hearing.