Ex-Iowa school official who took nearly $217K gets probation

ADEL, Iowa – A former Iowa school district official has been given three years of probation for embezzling nearly $217,000 over the course of several years.

Dallas County District Court records show 35-year-old Melissa Lantz was given a 10-year suspended prison sentence during a hearing Friday in Adel. The judge also ordered her to pay restitution and perform community service.

Lantz had pleaded guilty to theft from Woodward-Granger Community School District. She was hired in 2012, assigned to payroll duties and eventually became business manager.

Her arrest followed a state audit that identified improper and unsupported disbursements by the district over five years, including 101 checks that Lantz issued to herself on top of her authorized paychecks.

The district serves around 1,000 students about 20 miles northwest of Des Moines.