King Middle School bookkeeper resigned during missing funds investigation
A former bookkeeper for Martin Luther King Middle School is under investigation after the school found money missing from multiple funding accounts in 2023.
According to Santa Rosa County District Schools, the King Middle School administration discovered there were "discrepancies with internal fund accounts around Sept. 27, 2023," and began an internal investigation into the missing money and school's bookkeeper.
The school district says the employee announced her resignation on Oct. 9, 2023. Administrative documents obtained by the News Journal indicate Rachelle McCary was King Middle School's bookkeeper at the time and shows her effective resignation date was Oct. 10, 2023, with her final day in paid status being Oct. 9, 2023.
After the school district was notified and began "looking further into the initial discrepancies, law enforcement was involved on Oct. 17, 2023."
"At the point the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office became involved, the school and school district relinquished lead investigatory efforts over to the Sheriff's Office," the school district told the News Journal.
The SRSO confirmed to the News Journal that the department is investigating McCary and the fund "discrepancies."
School district arrests: Six school employees in Escambia, Santa Rosa counties arrested in 2023
SRCDS did not release how much money King Middle School discovered missing since the SRSO is now the lead investigating agency. The SRSO did not disclose the amount since the investigation is active.
The News Journal reached out to McCary, but she did not immediately respond.
Santa Rosa County Jail and court records indicate McCary has not been formally charged with any crime as of Thursday.
Gulf Breeze Middle School bookkeeper charged with stealing funds months before King Middle investigation
McCary is not the first bookkeeper to be accused of stealing money from a Santa Rosa County school.
Gulf Breeze police arrested Summer Bourland on May 15, 2023, after a judge signed her arrest warrant on multiple fraud charges.
Police initially charged Bourland, Gulf Breeze Middle School's former bookkeeper, with two counts of fraud, one count of grand theft $10,000-$20,000 and one count of passing a forged instrument after receiving a report of the school missing funds.
Court documents show that the Office of the State Attorney did not take any action on one of the fraud counts.
Bourland pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 21, 2023.
Court records indicate Bourland's next court appearance is set for March 19.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: King Middle School bookkeeper Rachelle McCary under investigation
