Trial date slated for Oak Grove schools theft case
The former business manager for Oak Grove Elementary School District 68 pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges she stole more than $54,000 from the district.
Cheryl Roberts, 46, of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of theft and theft by deception, but would also be eligible for probation.
Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Christen Bishop said Roberts was employed at the Green Oaks school district from 1995 until she resigned last fall for reasons unrelated to the charges.
Between 1998 and 2001, Bishop said, Roberts also served as assistant girl's basketball coach at the school and overpaid herself the annual salary stipend she was supposed to collect for the job.
Bishop said Roberts continued to draw the stipend even after she stopped coaching, and an audit determined she collected $31,283 she was not authorized to be paid through the scheme.
The audit also revealed another $10,800 in unauthorized checks between July 2004 and July 2008 that was traced to Roberts' bank accounts, and another $11,964 in questionable payments linked to her.
Associate Judge Theodore Potkonjak scheduled a trial of the case for June 11. He ordered Roberts, who is free on bond, to appear in court May 18.