PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A former school bookkeeper apologized just before a judge sentenced her for using school money to buy a boat.
Julie Taylor can never work for any school, and once she leaves detention, she cannot go back to Paulding County.
“I ended up going into a rehab to figure out what was going on,” Taylor said.
The former Paulding County staff accountant suggested to the court an undisclosed personal issue played a role in her stealing tens of thousands from the school system, teachers and students.
“We have finished our rehabilitation,” Taylor said. “I am sorry for them trusting me and me letting them down.”
Prosecutors said Taylor stole checks that were supposed to be deposited in a bank.
She paid $25,000 of the stolen money on a boat.
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One parent Channel 2 Action News spoke with found her actions appalling.
“To think that that is misused in that fashion is just horrifying to me,” parent Denise Glassberg said.
Prosecutors said Taylor forged a principal's signature on a check. She even found a way to hide her misdeeds.
“In numerous instances, the defendant would have bank statements for the school sent to her at the central office,” prosecutor William D. Johnson said.
Taylor pleaded guilty.
A judge sentenced her to nine to 12 months confinement.
She must pay $60,000 in restitution, perform 400 hours of community service and never work in a school again.
There is "a special condition of banishment from Paulding County,” Johnson said.
Glassberg said it's especially wrong to steal from kids and teachers.
“People have to live with the consequences of their actions,” Glassberg said.
“I am sorry for the embarrassment this has caused the school district,” Taylor said.
Taylor paid back the $60,000 in court, $19,500 of which was for the forensic audit that uncovered her crimes.
The school system said it put additional protocols in place because of the theft.
Cox Media Group
