Criminal justice teacher arrested, accused of stealing money from students, school
A criminal justice teacher decided not to practice what she preached, and was arrested for stealing money from students, as well as the high school, where she worked.
Sharonda Demetria Johnson, 47 — a teacher at Fort Pierce Central High School, located in Fla. — is facing charges for third degree grand theft and tampering with witnesses, victims or informants, according to St. Lucie County’s official records. She was arrested on June 5.
According to WPTV-TV, she is accused of stealing at least $3,000: $2,500 from nine students, and $500 from the school. She managed to fleece the students by charging them for competition field trips — and then pulling out at the last minute, telling them they could no longer go.
The West Palm Beach station reports that she made up excuses to keep them from going, like telling them “they were not prepared enough for the competition” or “that they could not go because of testing.”
Haydee Nuno gave her daughter, a sophomore, $400, and became a victim of Johnson’s stealing. She told WPTV-TV that she doesn’t wish for anything bad to happen to Johnson, and just wants her to return the money she took.
“Because it was the class she really liked, so we decided she could go on the field trip,” Nuno told the station. “I was surprised because it wasn’t easy for us to pay $100 a month, it was a shock to know what the teacher did with the money.”
According to the station, she owes the school money “for placing orders for fundraising items, such as candy and t-shirts, but not paying the school back.”
Johnson was charged for witness tampering because she allegedly asked parents to twist the truth and tell any potential investigators that their child “just didn’t want to go on the trip,” according to WPTV-TV.
As per to St. Lucie County’s official records, Johnson had not posted bail as of Thursday morning, and it is unclear whether the students and school will get their money back.
Representatives from St. Lucie County School District, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and Haydee Nuno did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
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