A former DeKalb County high school bookkeeper pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing nearly $23,000 collected for senior class activities.
DeKalb County prosecutors were told in February that an internal audit showed that money was missing, and auditors traced it to Stone Mountain High School bookkeeper Chyrokessia Rucks.
Rucks, a bookkeeper since 2003, initially told school officials that $7,000 to $8,000 was either stolen or misplaced, but a subsequent district investigation found she had not deposited more than $12,084.65 earmarked for the 2010 senior class. That money was to be spent on athletic events, cheerleader camps and other extracurricular activities.
The criminal investigation revealed that $22,831.02 was taken in and not deposited between February last year and January.
Rucks, who resigned on Jan. 11, has returned $10,752.38 in the school bank account, according to a report to District Attorney Robert James. Rucks said she borrowed $2,500 from her brother, came up with another $3,000 and had her husband borrow from his retirement account to cover the balance.
Rucks, who had held various jobs in the school system since 1994, pleaded guilty to two counts of theft on Thursday. She was sentenced to 15 years probation and will have to repay the rest of the money, more than $12,000.
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