CALAIS – A licensed insurance agent has been charged in the theft of at least $7,000 in cash premiums from her employer, police said.

Amanda Stanhope, 25, of Robbinston, who has worked for the independent Varney Agency Inc. on North Street for about a year, was arrested Thursday and has been released on $100 bail.

Stanhope, who was arrested Thursday, is expected to appear in District Court on May 6.

Varney is one of Maine’s largest independent insurance agencies, with 17 branches around the state. It is based in Bangor. The agency in Calais employs two people, a technical manager and a secretary.

Tim Varney, vice president and manager of the Varney Agency in Bangor, said Tuesday that clients who paid cash for their policies can be assured the polices are in force.

“If there are any concerns or questions, they can call the Calais office,” Varney said. “We have a management and audit team down there.”

Calais police Sgt. David Randall said he was contacted Wednesday by the company office in Bangor about the theft.

Company officials had become suspicious earlier, Randall said, after money had seemed to disappear. “They were sort of keeping an eye on things,” he said.

When Varney officials discovered the most recent discrepancies, Randall said, they had an accountant and some of the company’s other insurance agents review the local agency’s books.

“It appeared that at some point there definitely was some money missing,” Randall said.

As of Monday, the amount was $7,000 “and it is suspected it is going to go higher,” the officer said.

The sergeant said that Stanhope, who has an insurance license, worked in the company’s office on North Street, answering the telephone and dealing with customers.

Randall said it appears that after clients made cash payments on new policies, their applications were not submitted to the home office.

Stanhope initially was charged with misdemeanor theft, but the charge is expected to be upgraded given the dollar amount of the loss.

Randall said if the value of the property was more than $500 but less than $1,000, it is a Class D crime. If the amount stolen was more than $1,000, but less than $10,000 it is a Class C crime. If the value was more than $10,000 it is a Class B crime.

Depending on the degree of the charge against Stanhope, if she is convicted the sentence could range from a minimum of six months for a Class D crime up to 10 years in prison for a Class B crime.