Ex-Wake Forest PTA treasurer pleads guilty to embezzlement, avoids prison: Records

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WNCN) — The former treasurer of the Wake Forest Elementary School PTA has pleaded guilty to embezzlement, court records show.

Read more Support families, win a dream home: The countdown to the 2026 St. Jude Dream Home giveaway begins

Anna-Marie Ethridge was accused of misappropriating nearly $33,000 of PTA funds while serving as treasurer last January, according to the Wake Forest Police Department.

Following an investigation, police said they charged Ethridge with embezzlement of funds by a public officer/trustee, a felony offense, on Feb. 18. She turned herself in the same day.

Ethridge is no longer with the elementary school’s PTA, according to Wake Forest police.

Read more Former assisted living home in Fayetteville becomes transition housing center

Court records show Ethridge pleaded guilty to embezzlement on May 6.

As part of her guilty plea, according to court records, Ethridge will not serve time in prison. She was sentenced to 12 months of supervised probation and must complete 100 hours of community service during the first 300 days of her probation period.

According to court records, Ethridge was also ordered to pay $12,825 in restitution to the Wake Forest Elementary PTA.

Etheridge is scheduled to return to Wake County court on March 4, 2027, for a hearing to determine if she has fulfilled the terms and conditions of her probation, according to records.

Read more Gov. Stein calls for more funding for prison staffers as 5,000 beds are open in NC