In an unusual and troubling incident in East St. Louis, Illinois, teacher Tammy Huggins is seeking justice after one of her students allegedly stole her credit card and went on a shopping spree.
The incident, which occurred in early March, has left Huggins frustrated and searching for answers.
Huggins, a teacher at Mason Clark Middle School, noticed suspicious activity on her credit card account after receiving an alert about a $220 charge at Shein, a popular online fashion retailer.
Upon investigating, Huggins discovered her purse was missing, and her credit card was used for multiple purchases, including the Shein order and several DoorDash deliveries.
“It was a gut feeling,” Huggins told local station KMOV-TV. “When I saw Shein, I knew immediately who did this.”
According to Huggins, students at the school later confirmed that one of their classmates had been bragging about stealing her wallet and making purchases with her card.
READ ALSO: Married Teacher Charged with Sexual Assault of Student, Breaks Down After Arrest
Huggins reported the theft to the school administration, but was disappointed by the lack of immediate action. “I’m a teacher, I live paycheck-to-paycheck, and it felt like the school just brushed it off,” Huggins said.
She was further frustrated when the principal, Renaldo Jackson, gave her only one of her credit cards back without any offer of compensation for the $200 still missing.
The school district launched an investigation, initially identifying a suspect but finding no conclusive evidence.
However, by March 24, the student’s parents admitted their child’s involvement and offered to repay the stolen funds, along with other missing items. The student also wrote an apology.
Huggins hopes to see the full restitution of her stolen funds and is urging the school to take stronger action to prevent incidents like this from happening again.
The school district issued a statement assuring that they take all incidents of missing property seriously and strive to maintain a respectful learning environment.
