Samantha and Jerry Johnson own Jary's Flowers & Plants in South Salem. About five months ago, the couple began the painful task of trying to put a five-year-old case of employee betrayal behind them.

Sam says she'd like to say that the road back from the theft of more than $13,000 by a longtime employee has been smooth, but that would be lying. Instead, the small-business owners have been coping with lawyers, police, insurance companies and the anguish that has accompanied their discovery that someone in their nearly 50-year-old company had been stealing since 2001.

"I'm angry and hurt, and I'd like to get her alone somewhere," Samantha Johnson said. "But my husband is embarrassed and more sad than anything else, so we stay at odds about this."

After audit and financial-record reviews in early 2004, the Johnsons suspected that a trusted employee, whom they considered a close family friend, was siphoning from daily receipts by writing unauthorized checks to herself and taking draws on her salary that were unaccounted for.

Jerry Johnson was devastated and at first refused to go to the police, his wife said. But to file an insurance claim, he had to report the former employee, Jacqueline Zeller.

As part of Zeller's agreement with the Marion County Circuit Court, she served no jail time and repaid the Johnsons' insurance company about $7,000 of the money she stole. She also is paying, in monthly installments, the Johnsons' legal costs and owes a balance of about $1,500.

The Johnsons said they were unable to recoup their $250 deductible, their insurance company canceled their insurance as a result of the theft, they have had to pay higher premiums to obtain new insurance, and they hold a much more jaded view of people.

Zeller said she is trying to make amends. She has been making payments on time and, according to her lawyer, she has been paying more than the minimum each month. But if publicity about the case causes her to lose her job, Zeller said, no one will benefit.

"Have I not been through enough?" Zeller said. "I've been trying to do the right thing, and now they're trying to ruin my life. They're not going to get their money if I lose my job."

Sam wants to agree with her husband, so she channels her energy into advising other small-business owners about the importance of criminal-background checks, which she says can be done at the county courthouse. They take only a few moments and can potentially spare owners "tons of heartache and financial ruin."

"Jerry hired her (Zeller) while she was still in school, and a background check wouldn't have helped him then," Sam Johnson said. "But doing a check helped us avoid a repeat of the problem a couple of years ago, so we want everyone to know about them. They're so easy, and they can save you so much. Trust me on this."

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