YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
A former bookkeeper of General Rental Center on South Campbell Avenue has been accused in court of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the business.
The state of Missouri on Aug. 6 charged Tracy Dawn Dean with a 10-count felony complaint. The case is being prosecuted through the Greene County Circuit Court.
A number listed online for Dean was not operational when called this morning. Missouri’s online court records system did not list a defense attorney representing Dean in the case. Springfield Business Journal is also seeking comment from General Rental Center's owner.
A probable cause statement included in the court filings indicates Dean allegedly stole roughly $44,091 from General Rental Center over a period stretching from December 2022 to September 2024. The owner of the business, Darick Hemphill, reportedly provided law enforcement with copies of 43 checks that contained forged signatures purported to be in his name.
"Hemphill advised that General Rental employees are paid exclusively by direct deposit and that no paper payroll checks are ever issued," the probable cause statement reads.
According to a subpoena to U.S. Bank, the majority of the checks were allegedly cashed at Walmart and deposited into U.S. Bank. They also were allegedly put into a Chime account.
The probable cause statement indicates Dean voluntarily appeared at Springfield Police Department headquarters on July 25, 2025, and waived her Miranda rights. She reportedly called Hemphill's account "baloney" and said she hated him "with a passion."
According to the prosecutor’s felony complaint document, Dawn was charged with one count of class C felony stealing and nine counts of class D felony forgery.
Missouri law provides for those convicted of class C felonies to serve a 3-10 year term in prison, while those convicted of class D felonies would serve no more than seven years in prison. A fine of no more than $10,000 may also be imposed as punishment.
Missouri online court records show that an initial appearance hearing in the case is set for Sept. 28 at the Greene County courthouse.
A trio of brothers own Southway Storage LLC, which opened Oct. 7 and has 289 units to serve customers in Ozark, Nixa, Springfield and elsewhere in southwest Missouri.
