Band director charged in theft at school
By Staff Reports
Published in News on December 1, 2011 1:46 PM
For the second time in a month, an employee with Wayne County Public Schools has been arrested on embezzlement charges.
Antwann Devonte Smith, 28, band director of Goldsboro High School, was arrested and charged with one count of embezzlement Wednesday.
The arrest stemmed from an investigation into a complaint filed by the school district, which alleged that Smith was responsible for embezzling money from the school.
Ken Derksen, public information officer for Wayne County Public Schools, said that because it is a personnel matter, he could only confirm Smith's departure from the district last month.
"He did resign his position on Tuesday, Oct. 25, as band director of Goldsboro High School," Derksen said this morning. "Mr. Smith was hired with Wayne County Public Schools in August 2010."
According to information posted on Smith's Facebook page, he is a 2002 graduate of Goldsboro High School.
Smith, of 195 Scott St., was released from custody in lieu of a $2,500 bond. No further information was available from the school system or the police department.
In the earlier case, at Brogden Middle School, resulted in the Nov. 9 arrest of Christopher Chestnut, 24, a bookkeeper at the school initially placed on administrative leave. According to police, Chestnut allegedly failed to make a bank deposit and when confronted by the principal, turned over the missing money.
Chestnut, of Fallin Boulevard, allegedly em-bezzled about $5,000.
Derksen said he was unable to comment on the amount of money involved in the Smith case, but noted that the district has been working on more stringent ways to prevent such situations from recurring.
"With our internal audits we have changed a lot of internal controls, with money and how money is handled," he said. "We're making sure that all the dollars we receive, whether it be state or federal sources or money received through fundraisers, that it be used for the purpose for which it was intended.
"We work to ensure that all the dollars are spent wisely and there's no situations where fiscal misconduct can arise."
In cases where there is cause for concern, Derksen said the district officials do not hesitate to involve local law enforcement in the investigation.