Sea Isle City — A former Sea Isle City school district employee has been indicted on multiple theft and misconduct charges.

Lorye Craver, 32, was formerly the assistant to the school business administrator. She was arrested in late July for “official misconduct, with regard to her position at the school as the payroll clerk” involving the alleged theft of school funds, according to Sea Isle City Detective Sgt. Kirk Rohrer, who discussed the arrest in an Aug. 20 article in the Ocean City Sentinel.

On Tuesday, Craver, of Dennis Township, was indicted on a series of charges related to that arrest.

According to Cape May County Assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey St. John, Craver was charged with theft, a forgery charge related to forging of the signature of her supervisor on five school district checks, official misconduct, and exhibiting a pattern of misconduct for taking money on June 15, June 30 and July 15.

Craver is also charged with three counts of theft. The thefts are tied to pay dates in the school district. One of Craver’s duties in her position as assistant to the school business administrator was payroll.

“The three counts of theft of money have to do with three separate occasions,” St. John said. “The grand jury found evidence that she had deposited district funds into her personal account. The sixth charge, forgery, has to do with some checks she had in her possession, which in her job she had access to, on which she forged the signature of a supervisor and used for personal purchases.”

The alleged theft was brought to the school district’s attention when a school employee reported unusual activity in a bank account related to school district pay. The district, in turn, contacted the Sea Isle City Police Department.

Craver’s arrest first became public, as reported in the Ocean City Sentinel on Aug. 20, when the Sea Isle City Board of Education voted at its Aug. 18 meeting to terminate her employ. She had been employed in her position in the district since late 2006. Craver’s official termination date was Sept. 20, 60 days after her suspension following her arrest, as per the terms of her employment contract.

In weeks prior to the board’s termination of Craver, rumors had been running rampant throughout Sea Isle regarding possible theft of funds from the school district. Until the Aug. 18 meeting, the board and administration had remained close-mouthed about it.

St. John said the next step will be an arraignment, which he anticipates would take place in two to four weeks. At that time, Craver will appear in Superior Court to plead guilty or not guilty, St. John said.

St. John said the case would then attempt to be resolved between a county prosecutor and Craver’s attorney, noting “now it enters a period of plea negotiations.” Should an agreement not be reached, the case would proceed to trial.