Former employee charged with stealing from Hillsboro schools

A former employee of the Hillsboro City Schools has been indicted on a felony theft charge, after she allegedly stole an estimated $6,000 from the district through her position as a cafeteria worker.

Pamela Ward, of Hillsboro, was indicted earlier this week by a grand jury in Highland County Common Pleas Court.

According to the indictment, she allegedly stole the funds from the district over a period of time, from Aug. 1, 2009 through June 15, 2010.

Hillsboro City Schools Superintendent Rick Earley said that Ward has not worked for the district for at least three years.

When she was employed with the district, Ward worked in cafeteria food service.

"This investigation came about through a state audit, Earley said. "We discovered it in an audit that happened two years ago. We turned it over to the appropriate authorities to finish the investigation on the matter."

Brittany Elking, a spokesperson for the Auditor's Office of the State of Ohio, said that limited information on the case is available, as it is an ongoing case.

"That issue did come to our attention through the course of a financial audit," Elking said.

"Right now, that audit is still ongoing, and while the case is ongoing we cannot release further details. As a result of the incident, Earley said that the district has changed some of its policies.

"We have put into place additional controls to hopefully avoid this happening in the future," Earley said.

Ward is scheduled for arraignment June 20 at 9 a.m. in Highland County Common Pleas Court.