ANGLETON, Texas – A former payroll clerk for the Angleton Independent School District is accused of pocketing nearly $100,000 of school funds instead of depositing the money into the bank, officials said.
Cecelia Hardesty Walder, 54, was charged with theft by a public servant.
Recommended Videos
The alleged thefts happened between July 2006 and May 2014, according to court documents.
The finance department became aware of the missing money and an audit was done. They suspected Walder was responsible for the money and she allegedly confessed to the crime.
Walder allegedly wrote a three page letter to her employer admitting that she had been stealing from the district for years and would accept whatever punishment she received.
That letter was dated June 2, 2014. She said that she did not know exactly how much she took, but knew it was more than $10,000.
The district said it was much more than that.
The finance department provided a spreadsheet covering the school year and summer school year losses from 2006-2014 and, in all, it was determined that Walder illegally obtained $990,909.40 from the district.
Walder allegedly explained how she stole the cash. She said she would take the cash when making deposits for the district, and would only deposit the checks. She would then go back and change deposit receipts to reflect the check amounts deposited.
Walder also turned over a Kawasaki four-wheeler she said she purchased with the stolen funds, investigators said.
Investigators say they also have a recorded confession, which lasted one hour and 32 minutes, of Walder accepting responsibility.