North Carolina former charter school employees plead guilty [Video]

12.COM. TWO FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE NOW CLOSED BRIDGES ACADEMY IN WILKES COUNTY HAVE PLEADED GUILTY TO EMBEZZLING GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. WXII 12 SARAH SOWERS JOINS US IN STUDIO WITH THIS 12 INVESTIGATES. AND SARAH, YOU’VE BEEN SCOURING COURT DOCUMENTS. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND? THE FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FORMER FINANCE OFFICER PLED GUILTY TO STEALING MORE THAN $1,000. WE REPORTED ON THIS BACK IN 2021 WHEN THE SCHOOL CLOSED, LEAVING PARENTS SCRAMBLING FOR ALTERNATIVES. A STATE AUDIT MONTHS LATER FOUND THE CHARTER SCHOOL FALSIFIED ENROLLMENT NUMBERS TO OBTAIN MORE THAN $400,000 IN FUNDING. THEY WEREN’T MEANT TO RECEIVE. AUDITORS ALSO FOUND THAT THE SCHOOL MISUSED ALMOST $79,000 OF TAXPAYER FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL THAT ALSO REQUIRED TUITION, WHICH WAS UNUSUAL FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL. IN THE PLEAS, SHANNON PRUITT CAUDILL AND KIMBERLY NICOLE WHITE, BOTH AGREED TO PAY BACK THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT …