A former employee accused of embezzling over half a million dollars from a Mattoon dental office faced the court on Monday, where she entered a not guilty plea.

Rebecca S. Gutierrez, 49, stands accused by the Coles County State’s Attorney’s Office of misappropriating funds from Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry over a five-year span, from June 2020 to September 2025. The alleged theft is said to range between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

During her court appearance on Monday, Gutierrez pleaded not guilty and opted for a trial by jury.

Gutierrez initially appeared in court on October 1 for a detention hearing, where she was granted pre-trial release. As part of her release conditions, she must surrender her passport and is prohibited from liquidating assets in any 401k, retirement, or similar accounts.

Attempts to obtain a statement from Hastings and Havlik Family Dentistry in Mattoon were made by WCIA.

“Earlier this fall we were made aware that a former employee had been stealing money from one of our doctors over several years. We quickly terminated her employment. We look forward to letting the justice system take care of this situation. We remain committed to providing comprehensive dental care to our community as our families have done for over fifty years,” Myles J. Hastings, DMD, said in a statement sent to WCIA.

Guiterrez is scheduled to appear in court again on Jan. 12.

WCIA reached out to Guiterrez’s attorney for comment, but did not immediately receive a response back.