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Amid suspension, DeKalb principal charged with 2 felonies

More than two months after being placed on administrative leave, a DeKalb County principal faces two felonies, authorities said.

LaKeisha Nicole Griffith, who has been principal at Towers High School since the 2018-19 school year, has been charged with fourth-degree forgery and theft by conversion, the DeKalb County School District said Wednesday.

In a statement, the district said the investigation was prompted by “a report of financial discrepancies.”

“DeKalb County School District Audits & Compliance Department initiated an inquiry and discovered financial irregularities,” the statement continued. “The DCSD Police Department conducted an investigation into the matter and as a result, an arrest warrant ... has been issued.”

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Griffith was placed on administrative leave Sept. 17, AJC.com previously reported. She came to the district in 2005 as a substitute teacher, becoming a principal in 2018.

No other information about her charges was provided. She was booked into the DeKalb County Jail on Wednesday night, according to online records.

UPDATE:

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office issues the following statement in regards to the arrest of Lakeisha Nicole Griffith on December 18, 2019 and subsequent news coverage of the arrest.

“Due to a database entry error, the DeKalb County Jail listed charges for Lakeisha Nicole Griffith as Felonies. Ms. Griffith is charged with Theft by Conversion and Forgery 4th Degree. Both charges are, in fact, Misdemeanors. These errors were corrected immediately when recognized and the agency asks that news reports of the charges be updated, as well. We regret the error and ask for your cooperation in sharing this update with your news audience.”

Information from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this story.