The former treasurer of the Cecil B. Stowers Elementary School Parent Teachers Association in Cerritos has been arrested on suspicion of stealing $119,727 from the organization, a sheriff's detective said Friday.
Alicia Phillips, 35, turned herself into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Station in Cerritos on Wednesday evening, said Detective Chuck Aguirre, an investigator on the case.
A warrant had been issued for Phillips' arrest.
Phillips, a mother of three, was accompanied by counsel at the time of her arrest and did not answer questions about the investigation, Aguirre said.
The suspect was taken to the jail at the Lakewood Sheriff's Station on suspicion of one count of felony grand theft by embezzlement. She was still in custody Friday morning. Bail was set at $150,000.
Aguirre said he planned to file the case with prosecutors by 9:30 a.m. today.
The funds were allegedly stolen over a three-year period -- from July 2005 to September 2008.
Aguirre said the investigation included reviews of bank statements and other evidence.
Phillips resigned from the PTA in October after board members noticed missing funds, Aguirre said.
Stowers, which is in the ABC Unified School District, is located at 13350 Beach St.
After the investigation into the PTA began, Phillips moved from Cerritos to Brea, Aguirre said.
The ABC superintendent could not be reached for immediate comment Friday morning, but he told the Press-Telegram in October that multiple parents had called with concerns about the case.
PTAs operate independently of the school district.
Though PTA thefts are relatively common in the region, Aguirre agreed that they rarely reach six-figures.
