Mo. woman charged with stealing from PTO

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CREVE COEUR, Mo. (AP) -- The former treasurer for a suburban St. Louis parent-teacher organization faces charges accusing her of stealing more than $50,000 from the organization.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1fejp8i ) 36-year-old Tenille R. Batsell of Olivette was charged Thursday in St. Louis County with felony stealing.

Police say Batsell was treasurer of the Spoede School Association at Spoede Elementary School in Creve Coeur. She's accused of pocketing about $53,000 that belonged to the group, which relies on donations to organize events for students. Members of the organization called police after discovering accounting discrepancies on its books.

The parent-teacher association said on its website that its members were aware of the charges but couldn't comment.

Online court records don't list a lawyer for Batsell.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com