Woman accused of stealing $25,000 from St. Tammany rec district

The former secretary of a Pearl River-based recreation district is facing theft and forgery charges after authorities say she stole $25,000 from the government agency.

St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies say Brittany Ward, 36, wrote multiple checks to herself from the St. Tammany Recreation District 7 account and signed a board member's name on those checks. Investigators also accuse Ward of taking cash from concession stand deposits before transferring them to the bank.

Recreation district board members notified the sheriff's office after discovering in January that the money was missing from their account.

Ward surrendered to authorities on Wednesday after a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was booked into the parish jail.