A South Lake Tahoe woman who gambled away her entire paycheck lied about it, but deputies quickly figured out the truth.

The 42-year-old woman, whose name is not being published because she has not been charged with a crime, was found in the trunk of Mercedes Benz this morning. An employee at Zephyr Cove Lodge heard pounding from the trunk, found the keys in the ignition and was able to free the woman.

When Douglas County sheriff’s deputies first arrived about 8 Tuesday morning she told them she had been gambling at Lakeside Inn and Casino on Monday night and left with approximately $1,500 in cash. As she was walking back to her vehicle someone knocked her out by striking her over the head with an unknown object.

As the investigation went on April 23, the woman admitted to deputies she made up the story because she was afraid to tell her husband she had gambled away her entire paycheck.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report