Police searching for Daytona Beach school secretary accused of stealing PTA funds
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Daytona Beach Police Department needs the public's help locating a Florida woman they believe stole from the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at the elementary school where she works.
Police have been searching for 33-year-old Amber Dickens for weeks. Volusia County Public Schools confirmed to FOX 35 that she is a secretary at Palm Terrace Elementary. She is currently on paid administrative leave.
According to an affidavit, on Nov. 14, 2019, the principal of the school contacted the school resource officer with concerns that the current PTA was stealing from the PTA bank account. The principal says he was told by the Wonderland Gift Shoppe, an in-school holiday gift shop for kids, that they received a bad check from Dickens. The PTA had hosted a holiday event for kids where they could purchase gifts for their loved ones.
Wonderland Gift Shoppe claims that Dickens gave them a cashier's check for $1,892, but was told it was a fake when they tried to deposit it into their bank account.
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The affadavit states Dickens gave the principal a printout from Space Coast Credit Union with an account number and routing number, but no name, that showed a check had been voided for the amount of $1,892. However, when subpoenaed, the Space Coast Credit Union said they have no account number and no account belonging to Dickens.
The principal now says that Dickens ignores all phone calls and has not been back to the school. They said that worked for the school district for four years and was placed on leave on November 19, 2019, which is when she was accused of giving a vendor a bad check.
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Dickens is facing fraud and grand theft charges. Police believe she is still in the Daytona Beach area.
Anyone who knows where she is can contact Detective Eric Hinkson at (386) 671-5216.