ROCK SPRINGS — A woman accused of stealing from the Southwest Wyoming Central Labor Council was released on her own recognizance Thursday afternoon following her initial appearance in Sweetwater County Circuit Court.

Toni Edwards appeared before Circuit Court Judge John Prokos and faces a charge of felony theft, which carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. She was not arrested prior to her court appearance and came to the hearing after receiving a court summons. Prokos did order her not to leave Sweetwater County until the preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for March 25 at 9:30 a.m.

Edwards is alleged to have taken $29,200 while working as a bookkeeper for the Southwest Wyoming Central Labor Council. The issue was brought to the Rock Springs Police Department’s attention Nov. 25, 2025 when members of the Council reported the funds in their account not adding up correctly. When looking into the account, the members alleged finding evidence that Edwards was stealing from the organization between 2016 to 2025. The union members told officers they confronted Edwards about fraudulent checks and claimed she didn’t deny writing them, claiming she told them she would pay back the funds.

In total, 49 allegedly fraudulent checks were turned over to the RSPD that had been deposited into Edwards’ personal accounts. The RSPD conducted an interview with Edwards Jan. 20, where she told the interviewing officers she worked for the Council without pay for 26 years and allegedly admitted to officers that she wrote the checks. Court documents state she was shown the checks and verified each check she was alleged to have written herself. She said she had a hard time paying her bills, saying she bought a new trailer to live in and had her power shut off a few times and said she has a lot of medical bills.