More than two months after being placed on administrative leave, a DeKalb County principal faces theft and forgery charges, authorities said.
LaKeisha Nicole Griffith, who has been principal at Towers High School since the 2018-19 school year, has been charged with fourth-degree forgery and theft by conversion, the DeKalb County School District said Wednesday.
In a statement, the district said the investigation was prompted by “a report of financial discrepancies.”
“DeKalb County School District Audits & Compliance Department initiated an inquiry and discovered financial irregularities,” the statement continued. “The DCSD Police Department conducted an investigation into the matter and as a result, an arrest warrant ... has been issued.”
Griffith was placed on administrative leave Sept. 17, AJC.com previously reported. She came to the district in 2005 as a substitute teacher, becoming a principal in 2018.
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In 2004, Griffith, who was an employee for the Atlanta Police Department, was fired after being arrested on an identity theft charge, The Associated Press reported at the time. She was accused of using a SWAT officer's bank account information to make a $700 purchase.
No other information about her charges was provided. She was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Wednesday night, according to online records. She bonded out Thursday.
CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this story, the charges were listed as felonies. In a statement, the DeKalb sheriff's office said, in part: "Due to a database entry error, the DeKalb County Jail listed charges for Lakeisha Nicole Griffith as felonies. ... Both charges are, in fact, misdemeanors. These errors were corrected immediately when recognized."
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