DAVIS COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A former Davis High School secretary has been charged with misuse of public money after allegedly spending over $82,000 of school funds for personal use, according to charging documents.

Kellie Heather Wilko, 47, has been charged with misuse of public money, a second-degree felony, after she allegedly misused tens of thousands of dollars in 2020-2021 while working as a secretary for Davis High School.

As a secretary, Wilko had access to funds through two credit cards that were used by employees for school needs. Authorities say they found a transaction of over $1,600 sent to a PayPal account which led to a deeper investigation into the cards’ transaction history.

The investigation allegedly led to over $40,000 worth of unauthorized purchases. Authorities say Wilko then searched her records and admitted to an additional $41,000 of unauthorized purchases, admitting to using them for personal use.

While the charging documents do not clarify what the money was used for specifically, police say she told them one $2,700 transaction was used for new flooring for her home.

The total public funds spent for unauthorized purposes allegedly came to $82,045, according to the documents.

Davis School District said Wilko has not worked for the school since 2021. They said the misuse of funds was discovered through “the district’s regular internal auditing processes” which proved effective.

“The Davis School District takes its stewardship of school funds very seriously. When an allegation comes to its attention involving an employee, that individual is placed on leave immediately so that an investigation can occur,” the district told ABC4. “No students or programs were adversely impacted because the funds were recouped.”