“She is accused of making purchases of personal items on Amazon, using the Lebanon Choir Parents Association (booster organization for the choir program at Lebanon City Schools) credit card for the purchases, and submitting the purchases for reimbursement using falsified invoices indicating the purchases were for items used by the Decibelles, a show choir club,” Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said on Monday.
Purchases included toys, clothing and games, according to Fornshell.
The case has been assigned to Judge Donald Oda II and bond continued as set in Lebanon Municipal Court, where she was originally charged.
She is scheduled for arraignment on March 13.
Ross is accused of theft and other charges alleging that she used “credit cards belonging to the Lebanon Choral Parents Organization to order personal items from Amazon.com totalling $2,121.37 without permission of the organization” and attempted a cover-up.
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She is also accused of presenting police with a fake Amazon.com receipt and attempting to defraud the parents group with phony records.
The falsification charge alleges her actions took place on Oct. 31, 2019. The other three charge allege her actions occurred between Oct. 26, 2017 and Nov. 7, 2019.
The local school board accepted her resignation.
Ross’ lawyer, Dennis Lieberman, did not return a call seeking comment on the case.
Ross, who had been with the Lebanon schools for 10 years, was placed on administrative leave on Oct. 31 “pending the investigation of certain matters relating to your employment,” a district document read.
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Ross previously taught and directed choirs in Carlisle Local Schools from 2006-2009. Superintendent Larry Hook indicated Ross’ personnel files showed no problems while she worked in the Carlisle school district.
In her 2009 application to Lebanon, Ross said she graduated from Miami University of Ohio with with a bachelor’s degree in music education and expected to complete her master’s degree in 2011.
She also indicated she taught Vacation Bible school and gave private voice and piano lessons.
Ross indicated she had never been convicted of anything “other than a minor traffic violation” in the June 8, 2009 application.
“It is my goal, as a music teacher, to give back what was give to me. I want to instill in my students a love and appreciation of not only music, but what is out there in the world,” she wrote in the application.
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