In May 2025, Rene Nichole Coleman, a 50-year-old worker at a Jonesboro, Arkansas business, showed up for an ordinary shift earning her usual $16.50 an hour. But a payroll system error — a misplaced decimal point — recorded her rate as $1,650 an hour instead. By the end of her 12-hour shift, nearly $19,400 had landed in her account.

When her employer discovered the mistake and asked for the money back, Coleman allegedly told investigators, “No, sir. This is my come up.” She then agreed to meet with police detectives to discuss the matter — and never showed up.

A warrant was issued for her arrest in August 2025. For months, nothing. Then in April 2026, she was finally picked up — jail records showing she had left Arkansas entirely. A judge set her bond at $15,000, and she now faces a Class C felony theft charge that could mean far more time in prison than that $19,388 was ever worth.

The internet has been divided. Some say she knew exactly what she was doing and brought this on herself. Others argue the employer made the mistake, she simply spent money that appeared in her account, and this should have been settled as a civil matter — not a criminal one. Under Arkansas law, however, once an employer formally notifies an employee of an overpayment and demands it back, keeping the funds can legally cross the line from a payroll dispute into theft.

Her arraignment is scheduled for May 18, 2026. The “come up” is now a court case.