A former Morgan County Community Corrections director with a record of theft charges was arrested again Tuesday after allegedly shoplifting from Target, Decatur police said.

Alison Nicole Nix, 37, of 6059 Lawrence County 236, Town Creek, faces a charge of second-degree theft. She was released from Morgan County Jail on Wednesday on $2,500 bail.

Nix, who also goes by her maiden name, Alison Christian, was hired as director of Morgan County’s corrections program in 2006. She resigned the next year after coming under scrutiny for reporting mileage and receiving reimbursements for trips she could not prove she made.

Nix was stopped by Target employees as she tried to exit the 1235 Point Mallard Parkway S.E. store with a shopping cart containing items worth about $573 without paying for them, Investigator Jonathan Lowery said.

Many of the items were concealed in reusable shopping bags, Lowery said. The stolen goods included food, clothing and cases of beer, he said.

Officer Joshua Sloan took a report and transported Nix to the police station, where she was questioned by detectives and charged with the Class C felony.

According to the report, Nix spent about 20 minutes in the store, concealing merchandise in the bags, and then walked directly past the checkout without paying, police spokesman Lt. John Crouch said.

“A Target employee told the officer that she had seen her (Nix) come into the store twice before and steal merchandise, but she was unable to stop her prior to her leaving the store,” Crouch said.

Nix pleaded guilty in 2009 to forgery and theft of $20,000 from Hatton Youth Sports Inc. Former Lawrence County Circuit Judge Phillip Reich suspended a three-year prison sentence and placed her on probation for three years.

She was ordered to pay $21,010 restitution to the youth group and has so far paid $9,184, according to court records.

Last year, Nix admitted to stealing from Sears and Belk in Regency Square Mall in Florence. She received a two-year suspended sentence and was placed on probation for the Sears theft. Also, she was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $258 in court costs.

Nix also was accused of stealing sunglasses from Marx Optical, where she once worked in Decatur. She pleaded guilty in February and agreed to pay restitution and court costs.

While she was under investigation for theft of the youth group’s money in 2007, The Daily learned that Nix was reporting and receiving mileage for trips she could not prove she made.

The Community Corrections and Court Services Commission allowed her to resign and she had to pay back money for mileage claimed for some of the trips.