Former Gibson Co. school PTO president indicted on theft charges

TRENTON, TN (WNBJ) - The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has led an investigation into the indictment of a former PTO president in the Gibson County Special School District.

Kacey Criswell was indicted by the Gibson County Grand Jury on one count of theft of over 10,000 dollars.

Investigators say Criswell misappropriated over 17,000 dollars from the PTO between July 2015 and November 2019 at Spring Hill School in Trenton.

The Comptroller’s Office says much of the money was stolen when Criswell failed to deposit money that was received from fundraisers and basketball concessions.

The state Comptroller, Jason Mumpower, comments on the situation.

“School support organizations must ensure they are watching the money. It’s important to keep invoices or receipts for every transaction, require two signatures on checks, and ensure two responsible individuals are signing off on any money collected during fundraising activities.” said comptroller Jason Mumpower.

The investigation report goes on to say Criswell did pay back over 14,000 dollars to the PTO.

However, she still owes the PTO over 3,000 dollars.

The PTO was formally dissolved in August 2020.

In addition to the misappropriation of funds, investigators say they are questioning $5,092.64 that was used for purchases that were unsupported by receipts.

Investigators could not determine if the purchases were used exclusively for the PTO’s benefit.