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Longtime School District Employee On South Coast Accused Of Embezzlement

A longtime school employee in Ventura County is accused of stealing thousands of dollars in school lunch money. Ventura County Sheriff’s detectives and prosecutors say Retha Mae Drummond embezzled more than $160,000 from the Moorpark School District. Drummond worked for the district for 25 years, including her last four years in the school nutrition department.

Investigators say she was responsible for buying food and drink for the district, and also for processing money collected from lunch sales. They say the 63 year old woman diverted some of that income for her own personal use.

The Moorpark woman is facing 12 felony counts, including embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds. If convicted of all charges, Drummond potentially faces more than 13 years behind bars.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
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