Crime

MS Coast school official jailed & charged with stealing from a church, records show

Reality Check is a Sun Herald series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email mynews@sunherald.com.

The assistant director of security and internal compliance for the Harrison County School District and former Gulfport police officer Tonya Anne Laville is out of jail on bond on a felony charge of wire fraud, the Sun Herald has confirmed.

Gulfport police arrested Laville, 47, on Jan. 30. She was booked into the Harrison County jail around 12:45 p.m. that day and released on a $5,000 bond less than two hours later.

According to Gulfport police, Laville is accused of using a cash app to embezzle funds while she worked in security at St. James Catholic Church.

Tonya Anne Laville
Tonya Anne Laville Harrison County Adult Detention Center

On Friday, the Harrison County School District had Laville still listed as being in her position in the Harrison County School District.

Laville took over as assistant director of security in the Harrison County School District in March 2022 and has been in the position for nearly two years.

Before that, Laville worked for over 20 years at the Gulfport Police Department as a school resource officer, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Check back with SunHerald.com for updates to this story.

This story was originally published February 2, 2024 at 11:09 AM.

Margaret Baker
Sun Herald
Margaret is an investigative reporter whose search for truth exposed corrupt sheriffs, a police chief and various jailers and led to the first prosecution of a federal hate crime for the murder of a transgendered person. She worked on the Sun Herald’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Hurricane Katrina team. When she pursues a big story, she is relentless.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER