A DeKalb County school employee has been indicted on charges of siphoning at least $13,000 from funds supporting cheerleaders and the senior class at a high school.
A grand jury indicted Daphne Murphy on felony theft charges accusing her of taking money from Miller Grove High School’s cheerleading team and senior class accounts in 2009 and 2010, District Attorney Robert James said Thursday.
Murphy turned herself in Wednesday and was released upon paying a $24,000 bond.
“Ms. Murphy betrayed the trust of the cheerleaders, the senior class, the parents and the administration of Miller Grove High School,” James told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a prepared statement.
Tuesday’s indictment was a longtime coming. The accusations against Murphy arose from a 2011 school audit from previous years
In 2011, The AJC obtained records that showed Murphy, who had been a paraprofessional at the school, acknowledged misappropriating funds. A letter obtained by the AJC shows Murphy admitted to theft in connection to $11,760 in cheer leading and other student fees at Miller Grove High School.
“While this is not easy, I took money from the cheer account at MGHS. I regret every wrongdoing and am saddened by the things I have done,” Murphy wrote, according to the records.
Murphy attempted to resign, but interim superintendent Ramona Tyson refused to accept the resignation and terminated Murphy.
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