BILOXI, Miss. (AP) - The former security chief for a school district in Mississippi has pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
News outlets report that 49-year-old Paul Cannette entered the plea Tuesday in Harrison County Circuit Court. He was given a 10-year sentence, but most of it was suspended. He is expected to serve up to four years in prison and two on house arrest.
Cannette lives in Ocean Springs and worked for the Biloxi School District.
Prosecutors say Cannette embezzled more than $169,000 from the Mississippi Association of School Resource Officers. At one time, he was both president and treasurer of the group and controlled its bank account.
Cannette said he’s not a gambler or abuser of alcohol or drugs. He said he took money to provide a better life for his family.
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