Former Stillwater Public Schools employee embezzled over $200,000

STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – A former Stillwater General public Colleges staff is accused of embezzling far more than $200,000 from the university district.

Payne County District Lawyer Laura Austin Thomas filed a felony embezzlement charge in opposition to Stacy Kay Hampton, who was an administrative assistant with the university diet solutions plan for around 10 several years, according to a information launch from Thomas’ workplace.

“Her day by day duties incorporated collecting money from several cafeteria web sites, planning these cash for deposit, and depositing the sum at the financial institution,” the information launch states.

Hampton was placed on leave in 2019 when university officials introduced an inner investigation into her do the job hours.

The diet method director found out discrepancies in Hampton’s faculty-related economical data and notified Stillwater Public Schools Main Money Officer, Jericah Dawson.

“Dawson started an interior accounting investigation and determined above $200,000.00 in lacking cafeteria funds,” the news release states.

Austin Thomas questioned Cindy Byrd, State Auditor and Inspector, to conduct an unbiased forensic investigation. Byrd’s office environment located that Hampton had misappropriated Stillwater Public School cash totaling $216,196.67 from fiscal calendar year 2013 by way of fiscal yr 2019.

“This substantial and extensive investigation would not have been possible without the interagency cooperation of the Stillwater Community Faculties, the Condition Auditor’s Business office, and the Stillwater Law enforcement Section, working in live performance to existing a prosecutable criminal case,” Austin Thomas mentioned. “We can not worry enough how essential it is to have suitable oversight in any business. Hiring yet another employee or positioning further obligations on a co-worker charges far more cash, but it is well worth the expenditure to prevent this form of misappropriation of general public bucks. I am grateful the faculty brought this criminal exercise to light-weight and pursued additional investigation.”

Hampton, if convicted, would facial area no considerably less than a person calendar year and no a lot more than 10 yrs in jail.