Mother and daughter create scheme to steal from employer, charged for felony theft

JASPER COUNTY, Ind. -- The Indiana State Police announced today that charges were filed against Meagan Baker (mother) and Kayla Baker (daughter) earlier this month for executing a scheme designed to steal cash from their employer.

According to ISP, the two were employed in Demotte by Brian Shields DDS when the crime occurred and the office closed in July of 2023, after Shields began to find accounting irregularities.

He reached out to ISP on Nov. 9 of last year, and through interviews with dozens of patients, detectives found that, "patients were convinced by either Kayla or Meagan to pay cash to receive a discount for services at the dental practice." 

Shields says the cash discount was not a regular practice of the business and the cash was never deposited into the dentist's bank account.

"Additionally, detectives found that records pertaining to cash payments were deleted in the dental practice computer system," ISP stated in a release. "The investigation also revealed several thousands of dollars in cash had been deposited into Kayla Baker’s bank accounts."

Kayla Baker has been charged with:

• Theft of at least $50,000.00 – Level 5 Felony
• Corrupt Business Influence – Level 5 Felony
• Fraud – Level 5 Felony
• Obstruction of Justice – Level 6 Felony
• Forgery – Level 6 Felony

Meagan Baker has been charged with:

• Theft of at least $50,000.00 – Level 5 Felony
• Corrupt Business Influence – Level 5 Felony
• Fraud – Level 5 Felony
• Obstruction of Justice – Level 6 Felony

All suspects are presumed innocent until/unless proven guilty in court.