Ex-Eastern Iowa School Secretary Mishandled District Funds

Do people in charge of the money really think they're not going to get caught stealing, abusing or misusing it?

That's what Iowa state auditor Rob Sand wondered when announcing the results of an investigation into a former North Linn Elementary school secretary who had been found allegedly misappropriating $26,450 from the school's account.

According to the Gazette, from 2012-2019, Sand found that Danielle Arnold did not funnel the money into one of two different accounts on the school's books she was responsible for managing. One created by a parent-teacher organization at the school for things like field trips, book fairs, holiday parties, goodie baskets, and school swag, and another used for teacher's supplies and materials. Instead, she kept the money for herself.

A breakdown of Sand's investigation found a total of $26,621 was not deposited to the two accounts and $3,460 was improperly disbursed. Another $1,825 simply could not be accounted for.

After being caught red-handed mishandling the loot meant for the students and their teachers, Arnold resigned in June 2019 from the school in Coggon.

Charges have not yet been filed. It's now in the hands of Linn County Sheriff's Office, to whom she admitted to taking and using the money for personal use in a June 2019 interview, according to the Gazette. Also involved will be the Department of Criminal Investigation, the Linn County Attorney and the state Attorney General's offices.