Two former employees of the Lauderdale County Department of Education continued to be compensated after their employment with the school system ended, a report from the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has found. Both have been indicted on theft charges.
The school system is in Ripley in West Tennessee.
“It’s important that government entities follow a clear process whenever there is a separation of employment,” said Comptroller Justin P. Wilson in a news release Monday. “All timesheets should also be reviewed to ensure they support payroll.”
Educational assistant Devyln Green ended her employment in May 2014, but auditors found that she continued to receive direct deposits to her personal bank account until December 2016, according to the news release. As a result, she received salary overpayments totaling $33,511. The school system also paid the employer portion of her Social Security and Medicare totaling $2,564 and contributed $1,770 to the state’s retirement system on her behalf.
Bus driver Milton Waller ended his employment with Lauderdale County in October 2016, but continued to receive direct deposits totaling $4,459 through mid-February. The school system also paid the employer portion of Waller’s Social Security and Medicare totaling $341.
The director of schools first disclosed the payments to the comptroller’s office in February and said he would make improvements to prevent this situation from happening again.
Green was indicted earlier this month by a grand jury on one count of theft over $10,000. Waller was indicted for one count of theft over $2,500.
The full report can viewed at comptroller.tn.gov/repository/CA/2016/LauderdaleSchoolDeptJune2017.pdf.
