SAN ANTONIO — The president of a Hondo parent-teacher organization was taken into custody Friday after police accused her of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the elementary school group she had led since June of 2021.
Heather Lutz Martinez, 33, has been charged with theft of property and misapplication of fiduciary property after police said she stole $36,208.11 from the Meyer Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) over the course of 11 months, starting in June of 2022.
Authorities said the money has not yet been recovered.
The arrest is the culmination of a police investigation that began last week, when authorities said they were in the process of investigating the theft and looking at financial records. Martinez was previously listed as working as a probate clerk for Medina County, but local officials on Friday told KENS 5 she was no longer in the county's employ.
Community members previously told KENS 5 they felt "frustration" and "rage" at the thought of someone stealing money raised by school kids that was meant to fund field trips and other activities.
“These children are our future," said Debbie Barrientos, a multigenerational Hondo ISD parent. "What kind of morals or values are these people teaching our children? That it’s OK to steal?”
At a subsequent community meeting, elementary students could be seen holding signs reading: "Where did our money go?"
The PTO said on its Facebook page that other organizations have stepped up to help replenish the group's funds. A previous post said the money that was stolen represented "the entirety" of what was in the group's bank account.
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