Dad Charged With Stealing School Funds College Professor Served As Treasurer Of Cheney Parent Teacher Organization

An assistant college professor is suspected of embezzling money raised by students at his children’s Cheney elementary school.

Cheney police said Jeffrey L. Hanks, 34, stole more than $4,000 from the parent teacher organization at Robert Reid Elementary School when he served as the group’s volunteer treasurer last fall.

Hanks, an assistant professor of Spanish at Eastern Washington University, was arrested Jan. 15 on charges of first-degree theft and forgery.

He has two children who attend Reid, said Joe Mirich, the school’s principal.

Hanks was released from jail on his own recognizance shortly after his arrest. He has continued to teach at the university while his case is being investigated, said Stefanie Pettit, EWU spokeswoman.

Attempts to reach Hanks for comment Monday were unsuccessful.

PTO officials became suspicious last year when Hanks routinely failed to show up at the organization’s monthly meetings, Mirich said.

A check of bank statements showed several discrepancies in the organization’s books, Mirich said.

Checks drawn on the account require the signatures of two designated PTO officials to be valid. As treasurer, Hanks was an authorized signatory.

On some checks, Hanks apparently signed his name then forged the signature of the organization’s former treasurer, Mirich said.

“We found some checks had been written that we didn’t know anything about,” the principal said. “It was a case of trust, and, well, we learned a lesson.”

PTO officials immediately went to police with their suspicions, Mirich said.

Hanks since has been removed as treasurer and an independent review of the organization’s books is under way.

About 150 students from preschool to the fith grade attend Reid.

Parents and students raise money for the PTO through an annual candy sale and other events like a “fund run,” where the kids convince people to pay them a certain amount for each lap they run around a course set up at school.

Mirich said the money pays for things not normally provided by the school district, like field trips and special programs and books.

“It all goes directly back to the students in some way,” he said.

The Reid PTO wasn’t left broke by the embezzlement, Mirich said.

The organization still has enough money to cover its bills and pay for a few things this year, he said. In addition, the 1997 candy sale hasn’t been held yet.

But PTO officials hope to recoup some of the lost cash. “That certainly would help,” Mirich said.

, DataTimes