Ex-worker charged in theft at Brookwood School in Dalton

A 21-year employee of Dalton Public Schools turned herself in to police this week on theft charges.

Police said Edna Diane Wells, 56, stole between $6,000 and $15,000 from Brookwood School in Dalton, Ga. She is charged with theft by taking and has been released on a $1,000 bond, Dalton police spokesman Bruce Frazier said in a news release Thursday.

The school discovered the funds were missing during a routine accounting review in early July, said Pat Holloway, Dalton Public Schools director of communications.

"We turned it over to police as soon as we discovered the situation," Holloway said.

Wells resigned at the end of July when school personnel confronted her about the missing funds, Holloway said. The position was filled before the school year started, and Holloway said she is confident the problem has been resolved.

Frazier said police are having a hard time pinpointing exactly how much money is missing because the stolen funds weren't part of the school's regular budget. They were earmarked for the Brookwood's after-school program, he said.

Neither Wells nor her lawyer, Marcus Morris, responded to messages seeking comment Thursday.

Upcoming Events