Napa Police Nab Woman For Alleged School Lunch Fundraising Thefts

NAPA (CBS SF) — Napa police on Thursday arrested a 43-year-old woman on suspicion of fraudulently raising funds for the Napa Valley Unified School District’s school lunch program that were not coordinated or sanctioned by the school district.

Kylie Jean Kirkpatrick is charged with six counts of felony grand theft, one felony count of obtaining aid by misrepresentation, 12 misdemeanor counts of petty theft and one misdemeanor count of causing a false financial statement, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.

Each of the grand theft charges alleges more that $950 was taken, and Kirkpatrick is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Napa County Superior Court, prosecutors said.

Kylie Kirkpatrick was arrested on a total of 20 criminal charges after NPD investigated potential fraudulent fund-raising related to Napa Valley Unified School District’s lunch program. (Napa Police Dept)

Kirkpatrick was lauded nationwide by celebrities last summer when she said her 9-year-old son used his own money to pay a classmate’s lunch debt.

Police served search warrants on several financial institutions, electronic payment platforms, email and social media providers seeking evidence of the alleged fraud. Several people were interviewed about the case.

A $100,000 warrant was issued for her arrest, and Kirkpatrick was arrested without incident at her home in the 2600 block of Bradford Street in Napa. She was booked into Napa County Jail