Former Orange County High School bookkeeper Melissa Ann Boyd has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $1,000 from the school division.
The Unionville resident and mother accepted a plea deal in late August which lessened the original felony charge against her to a misdemeanor.
In court documents obtained by The Daily Progress, Boyd admits, “Evidence is sufficient to find me guilty.”
As part of her plea deal, Boyd received a 30-day suspended sentence contingent on 12 months of good behavior and the payment of $1,119 in restitution to Orange County Public Schools.
Boyd was hired by the school division in March of 2023, according to Yvonne Dawson, executive director of human resources.
On Oct. 3 of last year, Boyd was the subject of a Virginia State Police “Critically Missing Adult Alert.” State police asked anyone who encountered someone matching Boyd’s description to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
At the time the alert was issued, police said that Boyd had been last seen about 90 minutes after midnight on Zachary Taylor Highway around Unionville east of the town of Orange. Later that same day, Virginia State Police reported that Boyd had been safely found.
In April of this year, Boyd was arrested and charged with felony embezzlement of more than $1,000. In August, Boyd was rearraigned on a misdemeanor charge of embezzling less than $1,000 and pleaded guilty that same day. Court documents make clear, however, that Boyd admitted to embezzling the full amount of $1,119.
If convicted of the felony, Boyd could have served up to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine plus restitution.
Born with the surname Anderson, Boyd’s most recent married name is Norder, which is the name she uses on a LinkedIn profile, which lists her work as bookkeeper at Orange County High School.
“I love the environment, the hours, the benefits and there is nothing better than the time it affords me to be with my kids,” the George Mason University alumna wrote of the bookkeeping job on the site.
Boyd held a job in a similar vein at Keswick School, a therapeutic special education boarding school in Albemarle County formerly known as Little Keswick School. Before that position, according to her LinkedIn profile, Boyd was the financial controller for the Albemarle County-based Virginia Institute of Autism.
Until recently, Boyd had no criminal record in the commonwealth of Virginia.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com