May 19, 2006 By Amanda Clegg 2 min read

BROWNSVILLE – A Uniontown woman accused of stealing more than $20,000 from the Brownsville Cigarette Outlet signed a tentative plea agreement during a preliminary hearing Thursday morning before Magisterial District Judge Mike Defino. In March, Brownsville police charged Bonnie Hixson, 46, a manager for more than nine years at the Brownsville Exxon and cigarette outlet store, with theft by deception, failure to make required disposition and receiving stolen property, according to the criminal complaint.

An audit conducted Nov. 2, 2005, of the 312 Market St. business revealed that $5,774.44 in receipts was missing, leading to further investigation, which disclosed an additional $15,391.11 had gone missing between July 2005 and November 2005, according to police.

Michelle L. Kelley, assistant district attorney, said Hixson, a first-time offender, choose to apply for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program.

Kelley said the next step for Hixson’s attorney, who was not present during the hearing but available by phone, is to file the motion with the court. A judge will then hold an ARD hearing, determining whether or not Hixson meets the criteria for the program, Kelley explained.

Defendants cannot have a prior criminal record, she added.

“A lot of defendants tend to delay matters at this level,” Kelley said. “She moved it along and that’s good.”

Hixson and a representative from JG Service Station declined comment.