Police: Laurel Elementary School Employee Indicted On Felony Theft Charges

Delaware State Police have arrested a North Laurel Elementary school secretary on felony theft charges, according to Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Heather Pepper.

Pepper said during his employment with the school, in the summer and fall of 2021, Wade L. Bryan, 40, of Laurel, was responsible for the incoming funds for the school’s pizza fundraiser and Pre-K tuition.

When incoming checks from the fundraiser hadn’t cleared parents’ bank accounts, the school discovered Wade failed to make any deposits said Pepper.

Pepper went on to say that Bryan improperly gave the fundraising company the district’s bank account information to conduct an automatic withdrawal for payment for the fundraiser.

Once district officials entered the school safe, they discovered all of the cash proceeds from the fundraiser were missing, and the checks were never deposited. District Officials conducted an internal audit for other financial activity Wade was responsible for and discovered he had allegedly taken incoming cash proceeds from the Pre-K tuition program and only deposited incoming checks to the district’s bank account according to Pepper. In total, $3,198.50 cash from the fundraiser and $1,775.00 from the Pre-K tuition funds were missing.

On February 14, 2022, Wade Bryan was indicted on two counts of Theft Over $1,500 (Felony) and turned himself in. He was released on his own recognizance.

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