PORTAGE | A felony theft charge was filed Friday against a woman accused of stealing nearly $400,000 during the time she worked as an office manager at the Harbor car dealership on U.S. 6 in Portage.

Sheri Steinhilber, 36, of 2306 Flemming Road, Valparaiso, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of the charge.

Portage police Detective Dennis Meyers stated in court documents that Steinhilber stole $397,045 from the dealership during the time she worked there -- from December 2003 to July 2009.

Police said she stole in a variety of ways, including taking cash from the daily receipts by substituting various unrecorded checks in their place, forging customer refunds and keeping the money and taking cash from the deposits.

Police said the company first became aware something might be amiss on June 26, when a new employee took in $5,236. Later that day, the new employee was given the day's deposit by her supervisor -- Steinhilber -- and was told to make the bank deposit.

The new employee went to the bank and noticed the deposit was $1,821.70 less than what she counted earlier. The employee asked Steinhilber about the difference and was told not to worry about it because some adjustments had been made. That answer bothered the employee, so she told another employee about it, and the chief financial officer began investigating, police said.

The CFO confronted Steinhilber and she admitted stealing about $7,000, police said. Steinhilber was fired, and an audit was initiated. The CFO said Steinhilber sent him several text messages stating she could pay restitution from her 401(k) and that she was sorry about what she'd done.

Once arrested, Steinhilber will need to post a $15,000 surety or $2,000 cash bond to be released from jail.