In 2014, Jackie Lynn Stevens faced a big decision.

An Instagram image showed a horse with the message: “To buy or not to buy? He is so perfect in every way, everything I am looking for. But am I ready to jump back into this very expensive, time consuming hobby?”

The answer, a recent grand jury indictment suggests, was yes.

For the next few years, the Instagram account was filled with photos of horses, horse shows, custom saddles, clothing including Western-style boots, a high-end truck and horse trailer and a boat. The account -- now private -- is under Stevens’ name and includes her picture.

The 51-year-old Damascus bookkeeper faces dozens of accusations of felony financial crimes, including aggravated theft and forgery connected with her alleged embezzlement of more than a half-million dollars from a local nursery business over a four-year period.

The 51-year-old Damascus bookkeeper turned herself in to the Clackamas County Jail last week and faces dozens of accusations of felony financial crimes, including aggravated theft and forgery connected with her alleged embezzlement of more than $500,000 from a local nursery over four years beginning in 2015.

Stevens allegedly stole from Jaycee Newman Inc., a specimen tree nursery brokerage company based in Boring. One of the owners, Deborah Newman, reported her suspicions to police in January 2019.

Newman said Stevens was referred to her by a mutual friend who is also an accountant. Stevens’ company was called Accurate Bookkeeping Solutions.

Newman said she knew of the Stevens’ family from its community ties. “There was no reason for us not to trust her,” Newman said. “Everyone knew her. It was pretty devastating.”

Newman said the business was having “issues” but couldn’t determine why. “It was just a conversation that didn’t match up with what I was looking at,” she said. “I did more investigating and that’s how I discovered it.”

Clackamas County sheriff’s officials said the agency spent months looking into the allegations and discovered Stevens allegedly wrote hundreds of company checks to herself without permission, forging the owner’s signature. Stevens then covered up the transactions using her access to the company’s financial records, authorities said.

“She has not been judged yet in a court of law,” said her defense lawyer, Mark Cogan. “She is presumed innocent and we will do our utmost to present whatever circumstances may exist to put this in the proper light.”

The Instagram account is a showcase of expensive travel and purchases in recent years, including trips to Palm Springs, California, Las Vegas and the Dominican Republic. She appears in multiple photos with horses and at horse shows.

An April 2015 post features a sign that says: “Big dreams, nice horses & expensive taste.”

A warrant was issued on Dec. 19 for Stevens’ arrest; she walked into the Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 9 to surrender, according to a probable cause affidavit. She was booked into the jail and released.

Jaycee Newman Inc. so far recovered only $27,862.31 of the money, authorities said.

Newman said her business is on far better footing “now that the stop is in the drain.” The business was established in 1996 and employs about a dozen people.

“It was a huge financial hit and we were having problems and thank God, our employees stuck with us throughout all of it,” she said.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie

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