HEMPFIELD, Pa. — Darshanna Truss’s attorney said they waived Tuesday’s hearing because they hadn’t been given certain records yet from the Hempfield School District. He believes those papers will help prove her innocence in front of a judge.
“We want to get all the materials that they have collected, all of the discovery materials, which we don’t have today,” Tim Andrews said. “She didn’t inappropriately take money from any of those children. She was dedicated to them, and I’ve had multiple people tell me the same thing that supports her. ”
Channel 11 video shows Darshanna Truss, the former Fort Allen Elementary School PTO Treasurer, leaving a magistrate’s office. She is accused of stealing $46,000 from the PTO. Investigators said she wrote 78 checks to herself across several years. Her attorney claims there is a different explanation for the missing money.
“There was procedures that they followed [for] many years, even before she went there, that had certain monies being taken out in certain ways,” Andrews said. “And I think there are some confusion as to how that happened, and whether or not it was taken by her or taken by anybody else.”
According to the superintendent, the district was able to give the PTO an estimated $25,000. That money was able to cover supplies, after-school activities and field trips typically paid for by the PTO.
The Fort Allen PTO president, Jason Ledbetter, sent Channel 11 a statement saying:
“Thanks to Fort Allen Elementary and Hempfield School District, the student experience at Fort Allen was in no way negatively impacted by this whole situation.
The PTO has made changes to its policies and procedures and is once again making positive contributions to the school community.
Regarding any possible claims of innocence, it is not my place to give an opinion one way or the other. That’s what the court system is for. I believe that the detectives involved have been very thorough, that the matter is being handled appropriately, and that the truth will ultimately come to light."
Truss’s attorney said they will now take this time to dig through the PTO documents before bringing their argument to court.
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