Francis Marion Charter School Principal Mary Pinson arrested, accused of stealing funds
Francis Marion Charter School Principal Mary Pinson was arrested Friday and accused of stealing $20,000 in school funds.
Learning that a warrant had been issued for her arrest, Pinson was driven by school officials to the Marion County Jail and turned herself in about 5 p.m.
Ric Ridgway, chief assistant state attorney, said she faces one count of grand theft. Ocala police Detective Wayne Greene said Pinson funneled the money through the bank accounts of her sister and her 82-year-old mother. Withdrawals occurred between spring 2014 and May 2015, Ridgway said.
The arrest stems from a two-month investigation into financial mismanagement that came to light during an audit of the charter school.
A financial squabble between the school and Francis Marion Military Academy led the School Board to order a cursory audit. At the time, the schools were on the same campus, divided by a fence, and the middle school shared some expenses to use the campus.
Early in the audit, district officials found irregularities and decided to seek a thorough outside audit. The School Board agreed and the audit was conducted.
When the school district received the results, it called the State Attorney's Office for guidance. That's when an investigation was launched by the Ocala Police Department.
Pinson, a former teacher of the year in Highlands County, couldn't be reached for comment Friday evening.
The financial squabble that led to the audits began in June, when the military academy's administrators attempted to evict Francis Marion Charter School Principal Mary Pinson arrested, accused of stealing funds | Ocala.com:
