CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A Breadalbane woman who stole more than $16,000 from an early learning centre while she worked there will be back in court in January after pleading guilty to the theft.
Kimberly MacLeod, 44, appeared before Justice James Gormley in P.E.I. Supreme Court in Charlottetown Tuesday where she entered a guilty plea to theft over $5,000 from Hunter River Early Learning Centre.
Reading from an agreed statement of facts, Crown attorney Chad McQuaid told the court MacLeod worked at the early learning centre as its director from about August 2017 to August 2019.
The court heard MacLeod’s responsibilities included receiving payments from clients and making bank deposits.
McQuaid said that in August 2019, the centre got a new director and “irregularities” were found soon after.
Those irregularities led to an audit, which the court heard found $16,305.75 that clients paid wasn’t deposited into the centre’s bank account.
After the audit, the RCMP started an investigation and found a total of 12 clients made cash payments that weren’t deposited.
McQuaid said the RCMP determined MacLeod stole the money and they arrested her for theft over $5,000.
The court heard MacLeod, who had no prior record, has since paid $16.305.75 to Key Murray Law in trust with the intention to reimburse the early learning centre in full.
Defence counsel Conor Mullin, who is a lawyer with Key Murray Law, asked to have a pre-sentence report completed, which Gormley ordered, saying he thought it was appropriate.
Gormley adjourned the matter until Jan. 6 for sentencing.