The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former Baxter County woman on a felony Theft of Public Benefits charge after a criminal referral was made by the General Counsel of Workforce Services of Arkansas. The referral alleged that the woman, 59 year old LINDA GLADYS SADOWSKI, had fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits.
The investigation revealed that LINDA SADOWKI had fraudulently obtained benefits by failing to correctly report work and income earned while receiving unemployment benefits during a period of June 2, 2020 through March 27, 2021. She had been working part time at a Mountain Home business during this time but failed to report those earnings resulting in overpayments of benefits. Altogether she received approximately $19,227.96 in benefits she was not qualified to receive and were based upon misrepresentations she made.
A bench warrant was issued for the arrest of LINDA SADOWSKI on December 21, 2023. She was located in the State of Wisconsin and arrested there. She was transported back to Baxter County and was incarcerated on January 13, 2024 in the Baxter County Detention Center. She remains in custody in lieu of $20,000 bond, and she will appear before the Circuit Court to answer on January 22nd.
A former Sheriff’s Office secretary, MICHELLE HOOD, was arrested and charged with Theft of Public Benefits related to unemployment fraud on February 8, 2022. At that time, the Sheriff’s Office was informed by an attorney at Arkansas Workforce Services that the arrest of MICHELLE HOOD was the first arrest and prosecution made in the State of Arkansas since 2012 for unemployment fraud. Since then, the Sheriff’s Office has requested that additional referrals be made by Arkansas Workforce Services for any fraudulent unemployment claims that have been made by someone residing in this Baxter County. The criminal referral on LINDA SADOWSKI came about as a result of that request. At least one additional referral has been made as well, which is currently under investigation. The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office is committed to holding persons accountable who make fraudulent claims and receive benefits and payments from the public treasury for which they are not entitled by law to receive.
/s/ John F. Montgomery,
Baxter County Sheriff
