NAPLES, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida deputies arrested a woman Friday after she allegedly stole thousands of dollars from the elementary school where she once worked.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said Cecilia Andrea Hernandez, 50, of Naples was arrested for a theft that happened when she was the office manager at Sabal Palm Elementary School.

According to deputies, the school investigated a budget discrepancy when they noticed that over $4,500 was missing from the money raised from a 2021 book fair.

“They questioned Hernandez about the missing book fair money and she told them she planned on depositing it later in the day,” “When they asked her to produce the money, she told them it was spread out in different places, including her personal bank account. School officials then contacted CCSO.”

Hernandez was fired on May 25, 2022, with cause, but the sheriff’s office continued its investigation into the theft.

Investigators said they found that the former employee stole $8,114.45 in school funds from October 2021 to May 2022, taking cash from yearbook and shirt sales as well as the book fair.

The sheriff’s office said Hernandez was charged with grand theft and trespassing on school grounds when an investigation found she went back to elementary school after being on administrative leave.