23-year-old Target cashier admits to stealing more than $3,000 because "she had to pay rent, get food"

RACINE COUNTY (WITI) -- A 23-year-old Racine woman is charged -- accused of stealing from her employer. Police say she said she did it because she had to pay rent and get food for her children.

Jalissa Henderson

Jalissa Henderson faces one count of theft in a business setting (greater than $2,500 to $5,000).

Last Tuesday, March 10th, police were dispatched to the Target store on Durand Avenue in Racine. There, they made contact with security personnel who advised that they had video footage showing Henderson working as a cashier with a former employee posing as a customer. Security personnel told police Henderson was taking items from the former employee, scanning them and then entering an amount more than what the item costs -- giving the different in price in cash to the former employee.

The former employee would then take the money as well as the items and leave the store, police say.

Security personnel told police this occurred three different times.

Target officials did an internal check and noticed Henderson's register had been short on numerous occasions, beginning on December 23rd, 2014. Between December 23rd and March 8th, 2015, police say Henderson's register was short by more than $3,000.

Henderson admitted to police she had started stealing cash from Target around Christmas of 2014 -- saying she had taken approximately $1,000 from her register during this time. Henderson said she would fold up the currency and put it in her pocket. Henderson said on two occasions she allowed a former employee to come in and take items from the store. Henderson said she stole from Target because "she had to pay her rent, and get food for her kids," according to the complaint.