A 32-year-old former manager of several Subway restaurants in Ocala was arrested after the owner discovered that multiple bank deposits were missing.
On Thursday, January 12, an Ocala Police Department officer responded to SE 95th Street and made contact with the restaurant’s owner to discuss the missing funds. The owner advised that he oversees several Subway restaurants in the Ocala area.
The owner informed the officer that Benjamin Jerry Stokes was hired in January of 2016 to manage three of the Subway locations, and he resigned on October 9, 2018. Less than a year later, on September 4, 2019, Stokes was rehired and remained employed until he stopped coming to work without notice on or around October 18, 2022, according to the OPD report.
In December of 2019, Stokes signed a management contract that listed his duties, which included depositing money into the bank for the restaurants that he supervised. Stokes and the owner were the only two people who had access to the safe at the three restaurants, according to the OPD report.
The officer noted in the report that a total of 49 bank deposits were either not made completely or were missing money. Stokes was responsible for making these deposits, and the owner provided bank statements showing that Stokes “did not make the deposits he was supposed to.”
The OPD report stated that the total loss for Subway was $17,895.86.
The owner advised that he confronted Stokes about the missing bank deposits on October 12, 2022. According to the owner, Stokes made excuses and blamed the owner for taking the money. After this confrontation, Stokes stopped fulfilling his 40-hour work weeks, and he stopped going to work altogether on or around October 18, 2022.
On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, the officer made contact with Stokes over the phone and asked him to come to OPD headquarters for an interview. After arriving at the police station and being read his Miranda rights, Stokes advised that he did not want to speak with law enforcement.
Stokes was arrested, transported to Marion County Jail, and he was later released on $5,000 bond. He is facing a felony charge for organized fraud (less than $20,000).
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.