A former Federal Way Public Schools employee pleaded guilty to first-degree theft on Sept. 21.
Shirley Ann King, 56, admitted to stealing $17,842 from Kilo Middle School’s Associated Student Body funds between September 2010 and September 2014 while she worked as the ASB financial secretary. She initially pleaded not guilty in June after prosecutors charged her in May.
In the felony plea agreement, King agreed to pay restitution in the total amount stolen. The state will recommend King serve 30 days in jail, and her sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28.
King’s theft was discovered during a Federal Way Public Schools internal financial audit in March 2014.
The district’s accounting manager noticed large discrepancies between the funds reported by two teachers and the point-of-sale receipts. King was the only person who knew how to use the point-of-sale system.
In April 2015, after the audit, the accounting manager reported the theft to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators served search warrants on three of King’s bank accounts with Umpqua Bank, Sound Credit Union and HomeStreet Bank. Umpqua Bank showed over 100 cash deposits on different days for amounts ranging between $20-$220, and several days that King deposited funds matched days discrepancies were reported in ASB finances.
