Ex-Upper Freehold Schools Clerk Admits Theft

A former Upper Freehold Regional Schools clerk from Little Egg Harbor awaits sentencing June 7 for pilfering about $14,000 while on the job.

Denise Zukus, 57, admitted in Monmouth County Superior Court that she pocketed cash paid by parents for student activities, preschool tuitions and after school clubs from the beginning of October 2011 through the end of February 2012.

Monmouth County investigators traced the cash meant for school district bank accounts to her, according to acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Grammiccioni.

Zukus accepted a guilty plea to a fourth-degree charge of theft by deception. The deal entails a year in prison, no parole eligibility for the term and payment of restitution to the district. She's also banned for life from holding public office.