Full Notification

MONROE – January 21, 2016: A 44-year-old female from Monroe was arrested today after a two month investigation into discrepancies in the finances of the Park Place Middle School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA).
On November 11, 2015, the Monroe Police Department was contacted with financial records showing multiple ATM withdrawals from the PTSA bank account that could not be accounted for. It was explained that the PTSA group had disbanded in June of 2015. In October, a new group of parents gathered to form a new board for the PTSA. When asked for the financial records, the former treasurer kept giving excuses as to why she couldn’t find them. Eventually the group went to the bank to get past statements. It was also noted that the account had been modified to be a sole signer account in the name of the former treasurer. A debit card was also obtained with the signer change. This change in the account occurred just days before the first ATM withdrawal of $700 from a bank in Snohomish on May 12, 2014. During this month, there were five withdrawals totaling $2500. Between May of 2014 and August of 2015 there were thirty one (31) cash withdrawals of $200 - $700 from the PTSA account totaling $13,226.57. Nine (9) of the withdrawals were directly from the ATM at Quil Ceda Creek Casino, Tulalip.
When confronted, the suspect agreed to talk and admitted taking the money from the account and using it for gambling and other personal expenses. She did not realize she had taken so much money and had hoped it would just “go away”. She did say she paid some of the money back to the account.
The 44-year-old female was transported to the Snohomish County Jail for booking on Felony Theft 1 charges.
For additional information on this media release, contact Administrative Director Debbie Willis at 360-794-6300.