A former employee of a Zelienople business was accused of taking thousands of dollars from the cash register over the course of nearly two months, according to recent charges.

Nathan Y. Cumberland, 40, of Zelienople, was charged Jan. 26 with two counts of felony theft following an investigation that began Dec. 11, police said.

Zelienople police said canceled transaction slips were found in the trash can of Elluinger’s Meats and Deli and were linked back to Cumberland.

Documents showed Cumberland would handle a cash transaction, enter the amount in the computer system, open the register, give the customer change and pocket the cash. Next, he would cancel the transaction in the system, police said.

An estimated $6,601 was removed from the business between Oct. 10 and Dec. 7 when Cumberland’s employment was terminated, documents show.

During the investigation, police compared all canceled transactions and reports from the business with time cards from the days Cumberland worked, documents show.

Cumberland’s preliminary hearing has not yet been scheduled.