(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) A Fairfax County Public Schools instructional assistant has been arrested after allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of cash and goods from a Target in Chantilly.
Fairfax County police arrested Denise Pitkin-Tilson, 55, of Chantilly yesterday and charged her with felony embezzlement for taking more than $10,000 in cash, gift cards and merchandise, the department announced today.
Pitkin-Tilson works as an instructional assistant at Eagle View Elementary School in the Fairfax Corner area. She’s also employed as a cashier by the Target at 4391 Chantilly Crossing Lane, according to the FCPD.
Police say they were contacted at 7:52 p.m. Monday by a Target loss prevention officer who was alerted by the retail company’s headquarters that money was missing after Pitkin-Tilson’s shift.
“Pitkin-Tilson worked as a part-time cashier and was recorded for more than a month,” the FCPD said. “She was seen embezzling money from registers as well as stealing gift cards and merchandise.”
After being questioned at the Sully District Station, Pitkin-Tilson was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The police department says she has been released on a $2,000 unsecured bond, though no record appears yet in the general district court’s online information system.
“This individual is currently on administrative leave,” FCPS said in a statement.
Here’s more from FCPD on how to contact detectives with any additional information about the case:
Anyone with information about this case, or others possibly related, is asked to contact detectives at 703-246-7800. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477) and by web - Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App and follow the steps to “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards of $100 to $1,000 dollars. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.
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