The former Shiloh Middle School principal said he relied on his secretary, Linda Sprinkle, to document funds and deposit money properly into the bank.
“I needed to trust her to do that,” George Thomas Hill said, testifying Wednesday at Sprinkle?s embezzlement trial in Carroll County Circuit Court. “Her expertise, her longevity in the county … allowed me to trust her to carry out those duties.”
Sprinkle, of Hanover, Pa., is accused of stealing nearly $20,000 from the Hampstead school between August 2003 and March 2004.
As the school secretary and office manager, Sprinkle helped set up the school?s financial system and keep records.
She also collected and deposited funds, including money raised to benefit the families of New York City firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Hill, now principal at West Middle School, testified that he reviewed the financial records monthly, but didn?t monitor Sprinkle?s every move with cash.
Carroll County prosecutor Melissa Hockensmith questioned Hill about specific receipts that indicated Hill collected money from fundraisers in fall 2003. Hill said he did not give or receive any of the money.
Other details about Sprinkle?s time at Shiloh Middle emerged Wednesday. During the 2003-04 school year, Sprinkle had trouble with her health and her mother?s health and frequently missed work, Hill said.
Sprinkle?s lawyer Brian DeLeonardo had said personal problems kept her out of school at the time the money was stolen.
Sprinkle?s case is the second one in recent years involving a secretary allegedly stealing school funds, prompting school officials to tighten controls over finances.
Wendy Sue Bowers, the former financial secretary of South Carroll High School, pleaded guilty in October to embezzling more than $206,000 raised through athletic events and fundraisers.
