A middle school teacher in Ogden has been arrested after allegedly stealing over $20,000 for a children's charity and using her school's state tax exempt card for personal purchases.

Officials said they responded to Sam's Club's at 4949 S 900 W in Riverdale on Dec. 24, 2022, where it was observed on surveillance camera that Elizabeth Galbraith, a teacher at Mount Ogden Jr. High, was using the school's tax exempt Sam's Club Card.

They said it was also found that several gift cards were used to make personal purchases.

According to a probable cause statement, Galbraith was the sole handler for the charity organization Change For Children, which accepted large financial donations from local businesses for families in need during Christmas.

Officials said after speaking to the families who were on the list of recipients for the donations, they received "half of what they were listed as receiving or nothing at all."

Galbraith was interviewed by officials with the Ogden School District and police, where she reportedly admitted to accidentally throwing away $8,000 to $13,000 in gift cards while on Ambien.

Investigations later revealed that over $21,000 that was in Galbraith's possession is unaccounted for.

"By Elizabeth using and knowing the Mount Ogden Sam's Club Card was taxed exempt, she schemed hundreds of dollars in sales tax avoidance," court documents stated. "Furthermore, the scheme was perpetuated by Elizabeth excepting donations, and in only making partial donations to the family, Mount Ogden Jr. High and the families had no way of knowing that she was keeping half of the proceeds or all of the proceeds for herself."

Galbraith was arrested on Jan. 27 and charged with second degree felony communication fraud and second degree felony theft based upon the thousands of dollars missing from Change For Children that she claimed to have thrown away, but was found utilizing gift cards and the schools tax exempt status for personal purchases.