Georgia teacher allegedly steals $750 violin from student to pay fine
A Georgia elementary school teacher was arrested for allegedly stealing a violin from one of his students.
Kalif Jones, 21, an instructor at Brockett Elementary School, in Tucker, Georgia, was apprehended after he was seen in surveillance footage taking a 9-year-old's instrument, court records show.
Police said the student reported the missing violin to their parents, who notified the school's principal, according to ABC Atlanta station WSB.
School administrators said they were horrified when the surveillance video appeared to show Jones stealing the violin, valued at $750, from the school's cafeteria. Video evidence also showed the teacher walking out the building with the instrument, police said.
Jones confessed to taking the instrument, which he planned to sell to pay a $700 ticket he'd received, police said.
Officials with the DeKalb County Schools District did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment, but parents said the situation has the community on edge.
"Oh, my God. That's not fair. That's not right at all," parent Linda Kessie told WSB. "I think it's despicable and embarrassing, to say the least."
"I think it's really terrible that a teacher would take advantage of a situation," she added.
Jones was charged with theft by taking, a misdemeanor, according to court records.
It's unclear whether he's obtained an attorney.
