White

THOMASVILLE — A Thomasville woman — a self-described scam victim accused of felony theft — was released from the Thomas County Jail on a $5,100 bond after being arrested in a Florida beach town.

Janis White was reported missing from her East Pinetree Boulevard apartment on Sept. 12. A crime scene was established at the residence as concerns increased about her well-being.

Police said White left the Thomasville business where she was employed with the store’s bank deposit early that morning and had not been seen since. It was learned the money was never deposited.

“We did not know if she was being held captive or kidnapped,” said Lt. Toby Knifer, Thomasville Police Department Criminal Investigations Division commander.

On the night of Sept. 12, White was found at a Panama City, Florida, motel and taken into custody by a U.S. Marshals Service task force and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.

Marshals and deputies joined forces and found White’s vehicle at the motel.

She was extradited from Florida and booked into the Thomas County Jail on Friday.

Thomasville CID officers went to Panama City to recover evidence and found some of the money from the bank deposit.

“We’ve got some of the money back. She had it,” Knifer said.

The 62-year-old suspect told detectives she met someone on the Internet.

“She sent them a lot of money to the point where she started stealing from the store,” Knifer said.

White realized she was dealing with scammers and tried to get out of the predicament. Instead, she chose to send the scammers someone else’s money, Knifer said.

White, who is charged with felony theft by taking, was threatened with harm if she did not keep sending money.

Neither the amount of money in the bank deposit nor the amount found in White’s possession in Panama City have been revealed by police.

The commander said White should have sought help when she realized she was being scammed.

“She could have notified police or asked for other help or quit sending money,” Knifer said.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820