DELAND, Fla. (AP) - A Winn Dixie employee is accused of using coupon codes to steal $23,000 from the store.

Ibilola Badmus, 30, was arrested Tuesday on grand theft charges, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal (http://bit.ly/1eoM3DQ ) reports officials at the store near DeLand noticed first noticed a plunge in profits in February.

"An internal investigation revealed that it wasn't coupon-cutting customers causing the problem but rather an employee," said Brandon Haught, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

Haught said financial reports indicated a "worrisome financial trend" that resulted in negative sales at the store.

The store's loss prevention officers traced the suspicious activity to Badmus, and they learned that she'd been collecting fraudulent refunds from coupon codes. The activity began in November.

On Tuesday, store officials confronted Badmus, who admitted to the scheme. She told them that she'd taken the money to pay for her sick child's medical bills. But she said she'd only taken $10,000.

The store contacted the sheriff's office. Deputies collected the evidence and interviewed Badmus. Deputies say Badmus had $3,000 of the stolen money in her bank account. Her husband withdrew the cash and gave it the deputies, Haught said.

She was released from jail but records don't indicate whether she's hired an attorney.
