ANAHEIM : Nothing Illegal in Missing School Funds

Anaheim police said Thursday that they have found no criminal wrongdoing at Esperanza High School, where school officials discovered that $65,000 is missing from the Associated Student Body fund.

“We chased everything, every check, every receipt,” Detective Steve Whitson said. “We never found one thing that proved anyone did anything illegal.”

School officials and an auditor reported that some of the money was misappropriated during the 1992-93 school year. The money was part of nearly $600,000 in income the student organization received in 1992-93 from fund-raising events.

The auditor’s report found several insufficient bookkeeping practices that have made it impossible for police and the auditor to trace the money.

Paul Preston, activities director at Esperanza during the 1992-93 school year, disputed that the money is missing. Preston resigned from the school in June, 1993. Four months later, an auditor discovered that the money was missing.

In an interview Thursday, Preston said Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District officials were trying to blame him.

“I deny that there is any missing money,” Preston said. “The district is completely at fault and is trying to pin the blame on me.

“When I left in June, all the records were complete and accounted for, and all the money was there,” he said. “It was not possible to divert funds. Absolutely not.”