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Lydia Bradley
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a school cafeteria manager for the theft of around $30,000 from student cafeteria funds in small increments over an estimated two year period. 40-year old Lydia Faye Bradley of Mayo Trail Court in Crestview has been charged with grand theft following an investigation prompted by the Okaloosa County School District.
In November 2015, a parent at Riverside Elementary School in Crestview requested a refund of a child’s cafeteria funds and was provided with less than the amount that should have been refunded. The School District then began an internal inquiry and audit which revealed similar cash management discrepancies involving Bradley’s handling of some accounts.
School District representatives contacted law enforcement in March after reviewing their audit findings which revealed that the software utilized by the school for lunch payments showed funds were entered and then subsequently deleted by Bradley. The audit also discovered that a number of other cash transactions were never entered into the system but instead misappropriated at the register by Bradley.
During an interview with investigators, Bradley provided an apology letter to the Okaloosa County School Board for the wrongdoing. Bradley resigned her position with the Okaloosa County School District on April 29th.
Bradley was arrested this morning 5/5/2016 and booked at the Okaloosa County Jail.
Sheriff Larry Ashley said, “Our School District Officials work tirelessly on behalf of our students, parents and citizens and it is indeed sad when one individual entrusted with being a good steward of funds instead decides to take advantage of the situation. I want to applaud the parents, school officials and managers who discovered these discrepancies and immediately took action to ensure a thorough investigation was conducted.”
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