Women sought on theft charges

Investigators are seeking three former hotel employees accused of stealing about $40,000 from their employer.

Ashley Hurst, 21; Monica Hunt, 32; and Courtney Sturgis, 26, all of Augusta, are wanted on felony charges of theft by deception, according to Richmond County sheriff’s Investigator Michelle Walden.

The women worked at the Holiday Inn at 2155 Gordon Highway, where investigators said they used the company’s computer system to credit money to their own accounts. The hotel’s front office manager, Maranda Benefield, 33, of Augusta, is already in police custody. The thefts are believed to have occurred between December 2006 and November 2007, Investigator Walden said.

Anyone with information on the suspects can call the sheriff’s office at (706) 821-1080 or (706) 821-1020.