A preliminary hearing has been set for a Bottineau County bank teller accused of staging a robbery by hitting herself in the face with a paperweight.

Tamara McDonald is charged in federal court with theft. Her first hearing is set for April 30 in Bismarck.

Police said McDonald told officers she was struck in the back of the head by an unknown assailant and knocked unconscious March 25 at the State Bank of Bottineau branch in Souris. The bank president determined nearly $19,000 was missing.

McDonald later admitted she had staged the robbery to cover evidence that she had been stealing money from the bank, court documents say. She told investigators she spent about $6,000 of the stolen money and stored the rest inside a safety deposit box inside the bank vault, the court complaint says.

Authorities said McDonald has been the lone teller at the bank for 20 years.

- Associated Press