UPDATE: At 4 p.m., Catholic Charities Maine Chief Executive Officer Steve Letourneau said he had no record of Strout having ever worked for his organization.

WATERVILLE -- Police arrested a former employee of Central Maine Growth Council after investigating allegations that she had stolen at least $27,000 from the organization.

Holly Strout, 36, of 75 River Road in Benton was arrested around noon Thursday on a charge of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer.

A spokeswoman for the Growth Council, Laura J. Hudson, said any amount of money stolen harms the organization.

"This is a painful blow to the organization," Hudson, said. "We're a typical non-profit. Losing $5 hurts. This basically took away any safety net we had."

Hudson said Strout had recently left the organization to pursue a job with Catholic Charities of Maine.