The Austin woman convicted of staging the theft of a deposit bag belonging to her Subway employer was sentenced in Mower County District Court Thursday to 90 days stayed jail time and 50 hours of community service.

Melissa Lee Hitchcock, 20, was also sentenced to 10 days in jail or sentence to serve and supervised probation, after reaching a plea agreement May 9.

She pleaded guilty to a single count of misdemeanor falsely reporting a crime. Two counts of gross misdemeanor theft were dismissed.

According to the criminal complaint, Hitchcock claimed three men robbed her of the bag at gunpoint while she waited at a traffic light near Austin High School Sept. 26. Police later discovered that she, boyfriend Charles Wesley Sarmiento and a third male orchestrated a plan to steal the money.

As part of the ruse, Hitchcock identified one of the alleged suspects, who was later exonerated, saying he slapped her across the face. A red mark seemed to substantiate her claim, according to the complaint; Sarmiento allegedly inflicted it.

The third individual admitted to the crime after he was arrested for a separate offense. He also offered a witness, his ex-girlfriend, who said they counted the money on her coffee table the day of the theft, the complaint said.

In total, the group made off with $950 in cash. Sarmiento has also been charged with two counts of gross misdemeanor theft and one count of misdemeanor falsely reporting a crime. He has pleaded not guilty.