STAUNTON, Va. -- A worker at the Frontier Culture Museum is out of a job and is charged with stealing money from the museum.

Michael Sutton, the former marketing employee, is charged with taking nearly $40,000 from the museum. John Avoli, the museum's director, said credit card information helped them figure that out. He said they noticed the discrepancies around Veteran's Day weekend in November.

The museum is a state-run organization, so this means state funds went missing.

“Any time you're dealing with public money, it's very, very important. The state does an excellent job maintaining checks and balances. Unfortunately, things like this will happen at times,” said Avoli.

Sutton lost his job days after museum leaders realized what happened and he faces nearly 20 charges, including obtaining money under false pretenses. Avoli said holding that employee accountable is the next step.

Sutton will head to Staunton General District Court at the end of January. That's when he will first face these charges.

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