School Bookkeeper Stole Co-Worker’s Identity: Deputies

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A 79-year-old Nina Harris Elementary School employee’s April discovery that someone tried to open a credit account in her name led to the Monday arrest of one of her co-workers.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the victim contacted authorities on April 4 after learning that someone tried to open a Capital One account in her name. That discovery kicked off an investigation that led to the Oct. 2 arrest of Michele J. Roe, 55, who worked as an assistant bookkeeper at the school. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from St. Pete Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Detectives say they learned during the investigation that the application for credit was filled out online. The application form was “submitted from a computer at Nina Harris Elementary School,” an email from the sheriff’s office said.

Roe is accused of going through school records to obtain the victim’s personal information, enabling her to apply for the account.

The victim’s fast discovery of the application ended up in the card never being issued, the sheriff’s office noted. As a result, the woman did not suffer a financial loss.

Roe was charged with one count of fraudulent use of personal identification information on Monday. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail following her arrest. She remained there Tuesday in lieu of $10,000 bond, jail records show.

"Michele Roe is still employed by Pinellas County Schools but will not return to Nina Harris until a complete investigation can be completed by the district," Lisa Wolf, district spokeswoman, told Patch.

Authorities believe there may be more victims. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Det. Holden at 727-582-6200.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office