By Kevin Jefferies
Wills Point – A warrant has been issued in connection with the disappearance of over $225,000 missing from the Wills Point ISD general fund. A former payroll clerk of the district has been named in the second-degree felony charges.
Wills Point Superintendent William Stewart in October took the issue of discrepancies in the district's payroll to Wills Point investigators. An investigation involving the district, Wills Point PD, and the Texas Rangers followed, finding that discrepancies began when the district introduced a new records program. The district stopped looking through records in 1999, and in 2000, discrepancies began to appear in the books. From 2000 to September 2005, 97 checks were uncovered ranging from $300 to as high as $4,000, with over $225,000 missing in total.
The payroll clerk for the Wills Point ISD had been working for the district since 1989 and resigned immediately after an investigation began. If found guilty, the charges carry up to 20 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.