Woman arrested for embezzling hundreds of thousands from MS Coast daycare, police say

A Gulfport woman is out of jail on bond following her arrest on charges of embezzling $400,000 in grant money from Twin Oaks Child Development Center, according to the Gulfport Police Department.

Andrea Christine Blanchard, 36, was arrested Tuesday and jailed in Harrison County. She was released the same day on a $100,000 bond.

According to Gulfport police, Blanchard misspent money that came from a COVID-19 grant awarded to the child development center.

Blanchard allegedly committed the crime between January 2021 and June 2024 when she worked there, Gulfport police said.

If convicted, Blanchard could go to prison for up to 20 years, pay fines of up to $25,000, or both.

The Sun Herald reached out to the child development center for comment but has not yet heard back.

Margaret Baker

Sun Herald

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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.