The former president of the Oakview Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) arrested last week for allegedly embezzling nearly $20,000 from the PTO was charged Tuesday in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of first-degree theft.
The charge is a class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Alejandra M. Robbins, 34, of Centralia, was booked into the Lewis County Jail at 6:56 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, and was still in custody on $100,000 bail on Tuesday, Feb. 18, when she had her preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
During that hearing, Judge Paul Strophy ruled to release Robbins on her own personal recognizance.
The Centralia Police Department began an investigation into Robbins and alleged embezzlement from the Oakview Elementary School PTO after the new PTO president reported the missing funds on Jan. 28, according to court documents and a Centralia Police Department news release.
The Oakview Elementary School PTO is a volunteer organization separate from the Centralia School District that supports the Oakview Elementary School.
Robbins allegedly made cash withdrawals from one of the PTO’s bank accounts, “which was what started the investigation into her illicit purchases,” the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office states in charging documents.
Robbins is accused of using three separate bank accounts she had access to between November 2023 and December 2024 as president of the PTO to pay her rent and a late fee for her townhouse in Centralia, for a total of $7,474.80, according to the Centralia Police Department.
She also allegedly made $4,111 in personal Amazon purchases, $4,555 in personal Walmart purchases and $3,034 in personal Safeway purchases, according to court documents.
The total amount spent on alleged purchases, excluding the withdrawn cash, is approximately $19,714.
Robbins’ criminal history includes a 2013 conviction for bail jumping and a 2012 conviction for unlawful issuance of bank checks, according to court documents.
Arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 27.
