Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

A Linden woman who authorities say stole money from a Holly charity faces a preliminary examination on Jan. 7th on multiple felony charges. Holly Police say 36-year-old Wednesday Watson is free on bond pending a January hearing.

Watson is charged by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office with three felony counts of stealing or retaining a financial transaction device without consent. She could get up to four years in prison if convicted. Police say Watson allegedly stole from a local charity that helps people pay their utility bills, doing so based on false information.

In addition, police say Watson, giving the organization an address in Davisburg, contacted the charity twice in 2023, asking for help in paying bills. The charity then wrote checks addressed to the utility company, but gave them to her, not to the company, to make the payments.

Police assert that Watson generated over a dozen charges against the charity’s checking account totaling several thousand dollars between Nov. 16, 2023, and July 24, 2024. The unnamed charity subsequently contacted police, who interviewed her last August.

As a result, authorities recovered evidence regarding the allegedly fraudulent transactions, leading to her arrest. She was arraigned on Dec. 12th in Oakland County District Court and released on personal recognizance bond.