Former Wake Forest Elementary PTA Treasurer Anna-Marie Ethridge Charged with Embezzlement

Wake Forest Police say Anna-Marie Ethridge, 56, is charged with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the Wake Forest Elementary PTA after she served as the group’s treasurer. Court documents and local reporting identify Ethridge as living in the 800 block of Richland Ridge Drive in Wake Forest and say she faces a single embezzlement charge described as a felony.

Police opened the investigation after receiving a tip on Nov. 6, which investigators say led to an arrest warrant. The arrest warrant alleges that on or about Oct. 8, 2025, Ethridge unlawfully and willfully embezzled PTA funds while acting in her official capacity as treasurer. The warrant language paraphrased in public records alleges the amount taken was $32,635.34, while other official accounts list the amount as $32,635.42; those differing cent figures appear in the documents on file and the precise total is reflected in the charging paperwork.

Ethridge turned herself in to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office earlier Wednesday and was released on a $15,000 unsecured bond, according to booking information made available with the charge. Court filings obtained by local outlets describe the offense as felony embezzlement and indicate Wake Forest Police formally charged her the same day she surrendered.

Public-facing records show one count of embezzlement of funds by public officers and trustees listed in the charge language, with some filings using the statutory phrasing and other filings describing the count more broadly as felony embezzlement. The exact statutory citation, the class of felony alleged, and the definitive spelling of Ethridge’s surname appear in the charging documents; those items differ slightly across early reports, which use both “Ethridge” and the variant “Etheridge.”

A public social-media post that paraphrases the arrest warrant included the statement, "As with all criminal cases, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law." No statements from Wake Forest Elementary School leadership, PTA officers or the district prosecutor are included in the available court summaries, and no defense comment has been filed in the public record excerpts reviewed.

The alleged misappropriation, roughly $32,600, represents a material hit to a single elementary school’s volunteer-run fundraising and spending for programs and supplies; the PTA’s internal controls, audit history and potential program impacts are not detailed in the charging material released so far. Court records show the case is now in Wake County filings; arraignment and next-court dates, prosecutorial assignment, and any ordered restitution will be recorded on the county docket as the case proceeds.