A former assistant coordinator for the White River School District’s Community Activity Program, Vic L. Robbins, has been charged with first-degree theft by the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Office.

Robbins, 44, pleaded not guilty Aug. 12 in Pierce County Superior Court during an arraignment hearing. He was charged July 29 and the prosecutor’s office stated in a release Robbins was released on his personal recognizance.

Deputy Prosecutor Scott R. Peters wrote in the charging documents the theft, cost of the investigation and audit totaled $25,725.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the case broke open in February when new CAP coordinator was hired and discovered Robbins had not been paying for his two children to participate in the activity programs. The school district was notified and placed Robbins on administrative leave. His computer was confiscated but officials discovered the files had been deleted.

The auditor’s office was contacted by the district business manager and the auditor reported Robbins allegedly stole more than $20,000, including more than $10,000 in cash payments he kept.

The auditor reported Robbins’ two children were enrolled in the activities programs from September 2010 to January 2014, totaling $12,449. Robbins paid $2,976 for services and received $9,473 in services he failed to pay for.

The auditor reported Robbins received and recorded in the district computer system cash payments of $10,747, but never deposited the payments in the school’s account.

According to the prosecutor’s charging document the auditor interviewed Robbins April 22 and he admitted taking the cash. He also admitted he had not paid for his children’s participation in programs.

The prosecutor’s document stated, “The defendant claimed that his former boss may have said he did not have to pay but later said he was not sure. The former boss was interviewed and denied making that statement.”

Following the auditor’s interview, Robbins signed an agreement to pay the district $12,725 by July 1 and the remaining $13,000 at $200 per month.

Robbins was interviewed by a detective July 22. According the prosecutor’s document he “waived Miranda and wanted to cooperate with the interview.”

Robbins again admitted to stealing the cash and agreed the auditor’s findings were correct.

He told the detective “the first time it happened was when a parent saw him in town and gave him cash. He was not at school and just kept the money. It continued from then on but just with cash payments, not payments by check. The defendant was asked why he kept stealing and he said there was no drug issue or any problems; he just started keeping the cash.”

Concerning his children, he told the detective, “…when he enrolled his children he was only paying for 1 child and his boss knew but sometime in 2011 he just quit paying altogether. The defendant was asked why he did that and he said it was just bad judgment.”

Robbins’ pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 28.