Former Mansfield elementary school PTA president arrested, accused of theft of PTA funds
A former Mansfield Parent Teacher Association president faces a charge of theft of PTA funds, according to court records.
Jennifer Medina, former president of the Roberta Tipps Elementary School PTA, was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully appropriating PTA funds by transferring them to her personal account via seven PayPal transfers, according to a copy of the arrest warrant affidavit obtained Wednesday by the Star-Telegram.
Mansfield Independent School District told the Star-Telegram in a statement that the police for the school district were alerted to the possibility of the stolen funds in late November.
“Following a thorough investigation, MISD Police obtained an arrest warrant for Jennifer Medina on a state jail felony charge of Theft of Property $2,500 - $30,000,” the statement said.
Medina was arrested Friday but later bonded out of jail, according to court records.
According to the warrant, the alleged offenses occurred between Dec. 24, 2021, and Aug. 8, 2022.
The warrant states that the current PTA president at Roberta Tipps Elementary School contacted a Mansfield ISD police officer assigned to the school on Nov. 30 and reported that Medina had allegedly stolen about $14,000 from the PTA treasury. The detective assigned to the case found seven direct PayPal transactions from the school’s PTA account to Medina totaling $7,690.
The warrant goes on to state that Medina told detectives in an interview on Jan. 12 that the money was transferred into a PayPal account that she had control of but that she claimed she didn’t have the money.
The current PTA president told police she wanted to prosecute and set the amount of the stolen money at $7,690.
According to court records, Medina has no previous criminal history in Tarrant County. It’s not clear whether she has an attorney. Medina could not immediately be reached for comment.
This story was originally published January 18, 2023 at 11:57 AM.
