OGDEN, Utah — An Ogden teacher has been arrested after an investigation showed she used money designated for a children's charity and used it for personal items instead.
Elizabeth Galbraith, 43, was a teacher at Mount Ogden Junior High School before she was placed on administrative leave last month, followed by her submitting her resignation after the arrest.
According to a probable cause statement, in December, the Ogden City Police Department was made aware of unauthorized purchases of the school's tax exempt Sam's Club card at multiple store locations.
Galbraith was seen in security video footage using the card at one Sam's Club location, with receipts showing "a large number of personal purchases made by Elizabeth were paid for in gift cards," the investigating officer wrote in the statement.
Police say Galbraith was the only person who handled money for the "Change for Children" charity, which accepted donations from local businesses for families in need during the holidays. When contacted, some families told police they had only received half the money listed in charity records, while others received nothing at all.
"It’s several years that they say she’s been doing it, so it makes you wonder how many years has she been taking," said Whitney Dunkley, whose nephew was supposed to be one of the recipients of the fundraiser.
And in an strange coincidence, Galbraith was also Dunkley's teacher while she was in school.
Dunkley said her family could tell something wasn't adding up after her nephew didn't receive any help through a voucher from the charity.
"It makes you wonder if she didn’t care at all for the kids that were struggling, and that’s why she did it," Dunkley added.
In an interview with police and Ogden School District officials, Galbraith said, "she accidentally threw away between $8,000 to $13,000 in gift cards while on Ambien."
Police found that over $21,000 in Galbraith's possession was unaccounted for.
Galbraith was arrested and faces charges of communications fraud and theft. The investigation showed that the school and families who expected to receive charitable donations, were unaware of Galbraith's actions.
The Ogden School District says it will proceed with steps to ensure that all financial discrepancies related to Galbraith are resolved and that all donation recipients receive the full amount intended by donors.
That's welcome news for Dunkley and the members of her family who missed out.
"She was a good person, and for her to turn out this way, it’s sad."
