HOT SPRINGS -- A former waitress from Hot Springs, who was being sought by authorities in the fraudulent use of a customer's debit card last summer, was arrested in Cabot late Thursday after she posted a photo on Instagram.
Autumn Royann Partington, 23, who now lists a Lonoke address, was taken into custody by Cabot police and was picked up by Hot Springs police around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. She was taken to Hot Springs on a felony charge of theft by receiving of a credit-debit card and two misdemeanor counts of fraudulent use of a credit-debit card.
Partington was initially held in lieu of $6,500 bond, but after being arraigned Friday morning via video in Garland County District Court and pleading innocent to the charges, the amount was reduced to $2,000. She is set to appear March 26 in district court for a felony review hearing.
Partington had been featured on the Hot Springs Police Department's Facebook page in early January as part of "Warrant Wednesday," a feature that "continues to be a valuable asset in locating and arresting wanted individuals," police said in a news release Friday.
According to the probable-cause affidavit in the case, on Aug. 29, 2017, a Memphis man reported the fraudulent use of a debit card belonging to him and his fiancee and noted he had last used it at a restaurant in downtown Hot Springs on Aug. 27.
He said he had given the card to a waitress to pay for their meal and noted the waitress took "an unusual amount of time" to return the card to their table, but eventually gave it back, according to the affidavit. When he went to use the card the next day, he discovered the balance was low.
Upon checking his statement, he found two unauthorized online purchases, one at a wig store for $124.07 and another at a clothing business for $85.60, he told police. He checked with the wig store and learned the purchase had been made Aug. 27 in the name of Partington, according to the affidavit.
Hot Springs detective Patrick Langley contacted the owner of the restaurant where the victim had dined and confirmed Partington was a waitress there, was working the night of Aug. 27 and was the listed server on the victim's receipt.
The shipping orders for the wigs and clothing purchases showed them being delivered to Partington's former residence on Alcorn Street and also listed Partington's phone number and email address, according to the affidavit.
Langley contacted Partington by phone and she reportedly denied any knowledge of the fraudulent orders, but admitted she did serve the couple and had possession of the debit card at one point, the affidavit said. She confirmed her Alcorn Street address, but said she had recently moved.
Partington later forwarded emails to Langley that she had received from the wigs store regarding the orders.
It was noted the email address Partington forwarded the emails from was the same email previously indicated on the fraudulent orders, according to the affidavit.
"It was determined through investigation that Partington had fled the Hot Springs area," the Friday news release said. "It was learned on Jan. 8 she was in the Cabot area. Partington posted a photograph of herself on her Instagram page with the caption, "i luv my job." Luckily, Partington was wearing an apron with the business name," it said.
Cabot police were contacted and arrested her on the warrants, the news release said.
Metro on 02/11/2018