Teacher Stealing Kids' Money

[Winston Smith]

Not saying this is the culprit, but there's only one female PE teacher with 30 years experience listed on the school website. I wouldn't be surprised if she, um, wasn't married, if you catch my drift. Just the sort to be setting a good example for all the young'ens. She wants to "coach sports of all games." Chico State, way to go.

JoAnn Maxwell
Caught on video stealing from students

This article confirms that the "suspect" (caught in flagrante delicto on video) is indeed JoAnn Maxwell. Let's hope somebody gives that scumbag principal "a stiff consequence" too.

Student video goes national (UPDATED: 9:30 a.m.)
Girl hid in locker, captured teacher allegedly stealing $10 from jeans
By Keith Reid
Record Staff Writer
March 01, 2013 12:00 AM

LINDEN - Justine Betti curled up into a Linden High School gym locker on Feb. 13 with the goal of catching a thief.

What the 16-year-old sophomore didn't realize, however, is that when she caught veteran teacher JoAnn Maxwell allegedly in the act of pillaging through backpacks and stealing money, it would catch the nation's full attention.

From "Good Morning America" to the Huffington Post, Betti's story has gone viral. A Google search of "Justine Betti" leads to pages full of links to various stories about the recording. There are 19 video links to the story on the first page of a YouTube search.

"It's so big and crazy. It's way more than I would have ever expected," Betti said.

The Linden High girl's gym locker room has earned a reputation as a black hole for dollar bills and other personal belongings for quite some time, she said. Betti said she and her classmates started blaming each other.

On Feb. 11, Betti said she saw Maxwell - whose identity has not been confirmed by Linden High or authorities - take a friend's $10 bill from a pair of jeans.

Betti didn't think school officials would believe her, so on Feb. 13, she fit her slight frame inside a locker with her iPhone.

"I felt like it wasn't right that money was being stolen. I saw my teacher do it and felt like I had to catch her," Betti said.

Betti, a member of the Linden High swim team, said she hasn't felt any blowback for being a whistle-blower in the case, but she does sometimes feel guilty about how much publicity it has brought on her teacher.

The student's mother, Raquel Betti, said of her daughter: "She feels guilty now, but we have been reminding her that this is a story about what she did as a student. It's not about Maxwell."

The national exposure brings Linden, a town of fewer than 2,000 residents, into the spotlight for the second time in recent years. The story of convicted serial killer Wesley Shermantine helping authorities dig up bodies of his victims on property in Linden has been widely reported in the media.

"I know. We're not the city with all the bodies anymore; we're the city with the gym teacher," Raquel Betti said.

Locals say it's become the talk of the town.

"It's the buzz around town for sure," said Lesley Billigmeier, owner of a local fitness center, where she said customers come to work out and converse.

Billigmeier said she hopes people are focusing on Betti's courage and not the teacher's misdeeds.

"We raise great kids here. We grow the finest almonds and cherries in the world, and this is just a great place to live," Billigmeier said, adding that she's hopeful there will be a stiff consequence for the teacher.

Linden Unified has placed Maxwell on paid leave and began its own investigation into the matter, said Superintendent Michael Gonzalez, who is personally handling all media inquiries about the case.

Gonzales, who did not confirm Maxwell's identity, said details of the district's findings are confidential until its internal investigation has concluded - including an alleged order from Principal Richard Schmidig that Justine Betti delete the video from her smartphone.

When contacted by phone, Maxwell said, "I can't comment."

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office has concluded its investigation and has forwarded its findings to the San Joaquin County District Attorney's office.

Raquel Betti said she believes it will result in a petty theft charge.

JoAnn Maxwell
Physical Ed Department
209-887-3073 Email

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About the Teacher

Subjects Taught
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Physical Education, Weight Training


Education
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Isleton Elementary School

Rio Vista High School

CSU Chico



Experience
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Orland High School: 1979-1981

Linden High School: 1982-Present



Bio
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I am one of the lucky ones, who knew early on(7th grade), what they wanted to do when they grew up. I wanted to become a Physical Education teacher and coach sports of all games. I have coached field hockey, volleyball, basketball, softball and track. My love of sports has taken more to spectating, than participating at the present time.