Mountain View Elementary Principal charged with theft

Mountain View Elementary Principal Christine Kelly is escorted from the Susquehanna County Courthouse on Friday afternoon. Kelly has been charged with theft after money was discovered missing earlier this year. STAFF PHOTO/STACI WILSON

Mountain View Elementary Principal Christine Kelly was arrested on theft charges Friday after school officials reported money had been missing from multiple school fundraisers and programs throughout the 2016-17 school year.
Superintendent Karen Voigt told county detectives in August that in each case of missing money, Kelly had some form of involvement with the funds prior to them going missing.
In addition to the missing funds, Kelly, 39, Tunkhannock, was also reimbursed by the school district for purchasing a gaming system and for “brag tags,” (awards given to students), in March and May. Those items, however, were not ordered by Kelly until August, detectives revealed in the affidavit.
According to the affidavit, filed in Clifford District Court, the superintendent was prompted to launch an investigation after a large amount of money was missing from the sixth grade trip to Washington, D.C.
Voigt told investigators that Kelly was in charge of the trip, and participated in all aspects of the trip planning, up to an including the withdrawal of cash necessary for certain purchases on the trip.
Voigt said Kelly cashed a school district check for $8,000 and insisted on storing the funds in her desk rather than in the school’s safe. The following day, Voigt said Kelly divided those funds into envelopes for specific trip activities and then placed the envelopes in the safe.
The principal then, according to the affidavit, notified all involved that she was not going to attend the trip because she would be having surgery during the trip’s timeframe.
When the trip money was recounted by organizers, it was discovered that $2,600 was missing.
Superintendent Voigt also gave detectives two examples of situations where funds, collected from faculty, staff and students in certain circumstances, fell short of expectations – the first being the retirement of a district employee; and the second being a collection for a student whose house had burned. Voigt told investigators Kelly had been in charge of giving the donations to the intended person.
The superintendent told investigators there was no way to no how much cash was collected, but she expected the amount collected for the fire victim to be much higher than the usual $300-$400.
Voigt also said Kelly would purchase items associated with school functions with her personal credit card and then receive reimbursement from the district. But, the superintendent told detectives, the school never received those items.
Two examples cited by Voigt included the purchase of a Nintendo DS and the second was an order for “Brag Tags,” school awards for students excelling in certain academic areas. Cost of the gaming system was reimbursed at nearly $253; and the student awards were reimbursed at a price of nearly $800.
Those items were never produced, Voigt said, telling detectives the Kelly claimed the items were on “back order.”
Susquehanna County Chief Detective Steve Stoud, and Detective John Oliver interviewed Kelly on Aug. 17.
Kelly told the two she did not know where the money went for the retiring MVSD staffer.
In regards to the fire victim, Kelly told investigators she purchased items for the family – such as toiletries and bedding – with the money collected and added the items to similar items donated by students and staff for the family. She said she did not provide the family with the donated cash.
At first, Kelly told detectives she had purchased the gaming system and brag tags in the spring; but produced receipts that had no date of purchase.
Upon review of her online purchase history, investigators discovered Kelly had made the purchases on Aug. 15, two days prior to her interview with the county detectives.
Kelly also at first denied she had taken money from the student trip but later admitted to investigators that she had.
She said when she returned to work in June following her surgery, she looked for the money in her desk but could not find it. Kelly said she found the funds a week later but did not return it.
According to the affidavit, Kelly said the reason she did not do so was because “the residents of Susquehanna County are very religious, as is Voigt.”
Kelly then told detectives she is involved in a relationship that would not be condoned by religious people and she did not want to appear incompetent, telling detectives she planned to return the money at a later date when “everything was better between me and (Superintendent Voigt).”
Kelly was charged with theft by unlawful taking – movable property; and receiving stolen property. She was arraigned Friday by Magisterial District Judge Suzanne Brainard and released on unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 3.