A woman accused of stealing more than $45,000 from a West Columbia flea market was arrested by the state Law Enforcement Division.

According to an arrest warrant provided to the Chronicle, Kathryn Lenni Ward, a 36-year-old from Lexington, is charged with breach of trust with fraudulent intent after allegedly “void[ing] cash transactions for rental payments from booth vendors and adjust[ing] their rent to balance the system” while working as a manager at the Barnyard Flea Market on Augusta Highway.

The missing money, which Ward didn’t report, was discovered during an internal audit after Ward left the flea market.

Per a press release, Ward was arrested by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina after SLED was requested to investigate by the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department. 

“She was extradited back to South Carolina and was served the arrest warrant by SLED agents,” the release states.

According to the arrest warrant, “a search warrant was obtained for Ward’s Bank of America account records which showed ... unexplained cash ATM deposits” that corresponded with the discrepancies revealed by Barnyard’s audit.

“Ward’s personal passcode was used to enter the Barnyard Flea Market office and $5,760.00 was stolen from the safe and $98.00 was stolen from petty cash,” the arrest warrant states. “The total loss of money from the Barnyard Flea Market was $45,112.50.”

Ward was booked into the Lexington County Detention Center, and the case is set to be prosecuted by the 11th Circuit Solicitor's Office.