A former employee at an Oak Harbor bank is accused of stealing nearly $38,000 from a customer and a cash drawer, according to court documents.

The theft was discovered last year when the suspect, Michelle D. Williams, was on vacation.

Prosecutors charged Williams, 48, in Island County Superior Court Sept. 14 with theft in the first degree, theft in the second degree and four counts of forgery.

If convicted of the charges, Williams could face up to a year and six months in prison under the standard sentencing range, but the prosecutor is alleging aggravating circumstances that could increase the sentence.

A fellow employee at Washington Federal Bank discovered the theft in August 2017, according to the police report. Williams had hand-written all the suspicious transactions in a ledger, which was against bank policy, the report states.

A bank investigator discovered a long series of unauthorized withdrawals from a customer’s bank account dating back to 2016.

A total of $32,380 was stolen from the man’s account; the bank reimbursed him after the theft was uncovered, according to court documents.

The report states that Williams always made a point of helping the particular customer when he came to the bank. The man told investigators Williams had shown up at his home and asked for an $8,000 loan to pay for a surgery, the report states. He refused to give her the money, but $8,900 was withdrawn from his account without his consent.

Williams is also accused of stealing $5,000 from her cash drawer on the day she was fired, the report says.

The investigator was unable to contact Williams for her side of the story, the officer wrote.