Columbus school employee arrested for theft

COLUMBUS, Ind. – A local woman has been arrested following an investigation into the theft of over $50,000 from a local elementary school’s extracurricular funds.

In December 2025, a Columbus Police Department officer was informed by a Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) employee that they had uncovered evidence during an audit that led them to believe an employee at Southside Elementary, Lilly Paker, 56, of Columbus, had been allegedly stealing funds from the school’s extracurricular account. 

The case was assigned to a detective who collaborated with the Indiana State Board of Accounts and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office to conduct further investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation, the case was referred to the prosecutor for review.

On June 2, 2026, formal charges were filed for:    

• Theft (level 5 felony)
• Forgery (level 6 felony)
• Counterfeiting *level 6 felony)
• Official Misconduct (level 6 felony)

A warrant was issued for Parker’s arrest. She was taken into custody and booked into the Bartholomew County Jail.

BCSC issued a media release about the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

It read, "Earlier this school year, BCSC administrators discovered possible violations of corporation policy related to the management of Southside Elementary’s extracurricular accounts. Upon discovering the potential improprieties, BCSC immediately notified the Columbus Police Department and the Indiana State Board of Accounts so they could begin a criminal investigation into this matter. The former employee involved was immediately terminated as a result of their alleged violation of the corporation's policy. The criminal and legal processes regarding this incident are ongoing. BCSC takes these matters seriously and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and the Indiana State Board of Accounts."