Mercer County school secretary who allegedly stole $9K escapes jail time
A secretary at Mercer County Technical Schools has received a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
Katrina Daniels, who was accused of stealing nearly $8,700 from the district, was accepted into a pre-trial intervention program (PTI) on Wednesday, Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said in an email.
The PTI, which is for first-time offenders and clears an individual’s record if the program is completed successfully, calls for Daniels to be under probation for 36 months, finish 40 hours of community service and pay the district back $8,668, which is the total amount of money she allegedly stole.
The 42-year-old Trenton resident was arrested on Nov. 30 for pocketing the money following a seven-month investigation by Hopewell police and the Mercer County
Prosecutor’s Office.
Hopewell police began to investigate Daniels, who worked at the Sypek Center, in June 2016 after they were alerted by the district that cash was missing from a deposit, authorities said.
Police determined that over the course of several months, Daniels altered deposit amounts and stole $8,668 from the school, which is located at 129 Bull Run Road in Hopewell, authorities said.. She was charged with one count of theft by unlawful taking, a third-degree crime.
Daniels earned an annual salary last year of $44,519, according to online records. She started working in the district in September 2014.
The secretary was fired from the district following her arrest.