ST. CLOUD – A 46-year-old St. Cloud woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to stealing nearly $119,000 from student activity accounts while she worked as a bookkeeper for Technical High School.

Allison Paige Tadych was charged with one felony count of theft by swindle in Stearns County District Court in November 2019 after district employees noticed discrepancies in student activities account balances over the previous two years.

According to the complaint, Tadych resigned from her position as bookkeeper in July 2019, after which the district requested an independent audit and turned the matter over to St. Cloud police.

The audit showed the ending balances for activities accounts in 2018 and 2019 did not match bank records. The missing deposits for 2018 amounted to $75,363 and the missing deposits for 2019 were $43,487.

The complaint states Tadych's responsibility was to enter incoming checks and cash into an account based on handwritten receipts from coaches or advisers and then prepare regular deposits to an account at U.S. Bank.

Tadych told investigators in October 2019 she "would adjust the numbers" in the accounting program and "take approximately $200 several times a week," the complaint states.

Tadych, Star Tribune

"The defendant said she initially planned to pay it back but resigned from her position when she knew she would not be able to pay it back," the complaint states.

In summer 2019, the St. Cloud school board moved student activity funds so the district would have oversight of the funds instead of the accounts being managed in each school building.

A settlement conference is scheduled for June 4 in Stearns County court.

Jenny Berg • 612-673-7299

Twitter: @bergjenny