The former president of the Oakview Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has been arrested on over a dozen felony charges for allegedly embezzling over $10,000 from the PTO between November 2023 and December 2024, the Centralia Police Department announced Friday.
Alejandra M. Robbins, 34, of Centralia, was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 6:56 a.m. on Feb. 14, according to jail records and a news release from the Centralia Police Department.
She had not been formally charged in Lewis County Superior Court as of Friday afternoon.
Robbins is accused of using three separate bank accounts she had access to 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.
“It was further revealed that Robbins conducted multiple transactions through Amazon to purchase personal items, at times commingled with what appear to be legitimate PTO purchases,” the Centralia Police Department stated in the news release. “There were cash withdrawals and other factors leading the investigation to show probable cause for the arrest of Robbins.”
In total, the Centralia Police Department estimates that Robbins spent and misappropriated over $10,000 of PTO funds.
“Further investigation is ongoing at this time to determine if additional unauthorized purchases were made by Robbins,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release.
The Centralia Police Department began investigating the embezzlement after it was reported on Jan. 28, according to the news release.
Officers executed search warrants on bank statements and Amazon account information to investigate the alleged embezzlement.
“This is an ongoing investigation and no further information is being released at this time,” the Centralia Police Department stated. “If you have information about the crimes associated with this investigation, please call our office at 360-330-7680 or our non-emergency dispatch line at 360-740-1105.”
The Oakview Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization is a volunteer organization with individuals who are elected to their roles within that organization.
Though PTO’s support schools and school districts, the Oakview Elementary School PTO is a separate organization from the Centralia School District.
“PTOs exist to build community, advocate for children, and provide resources to help the youth in our community grow in their education opportunities,” the Centralia Police Department stated in a news release.
