Theft charges filed against PTO member

A member of the Hot Springs Elementary Parent Teacher Organization has been charged with felony theft following an investigation into alleged unauthorized transactions from the organizations’s bank account.

Court documents filed this week allege that Ayla Blasius made 58 unauthorized charges totalling more than $4,600 between October 2017 and August 2018.

The maximum penalty for theft, a common scheme felony, is up to a $1,500 fine and up to three years in prison.

The charges were filed afer a former PTO board member reviewed the bank statements and the balance on Aug. 15 of this year was $8.40.

The charges were filed in 20th Judicial District Court.