VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County deputies are searching for a woman accused of stealing money from an elementary school’s Parent Teacher Association.
Deputies say Amber Dickens tried to cash a check from the Palm Terrace Elementary School PTA.
The incident stems from a November 2019 incident when Wonderland Gift Shoppe, an in-school holiday gift shop for children, reported Dickens for handing in a fraudulent check.
The school’s PTA hosted a holiday event with Wonderland Gift Shoppe so children could purchase gifts for their loved ones. The PTA at the time had a balance of $1,892.20. The shop said Dickens delivered a check in that amount but when the shop tried to cash it, the bank refused to take it, saying it was fake.
The school’s principal then notified Dickens about the issue and requested the PTA’s bank account information. Dickens gave the principal the documentation from Space Coast Credit Union, which revealed a bank voiding a check made out for $1,892.20. Bank statements also revealed the PTA’s account’s balance was at $0.
Investigators subpoenaed Space Coast Credit Union for documentation related to the account number Dickens provided the principal. The credit union told the Sheriff’s Office there was no account associated with the account number that was under Dickens’ name.
The principal has been trying to get into contact with Dickens since last year but she has not returned back to the school.
Deputies have since issued an arrest warrant for Dickens and believe she’s in the Daytona area. Anyone who knows of her whereabouts is asked to call Detective Eric Hinkson at 386-671-5216.