A Lansford woman charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the Panther Valley Parent Teacher Organization must start making restitution, a Carbon County judge ordered.

Melissa McCloskey, 35, was charged with theft by Summit Hill police in September for allegedly using the organization’s funds for food purchases from Italian restaurants, payments to AT&T, PPL, Amazon and others, as well as making ATM withdrawals.

The unauthorized expenditures occurred between Oct. 28, 2022, and Aug. 26, 2024, when she was treasurer of the Panther Valley PTO.

President Judge Roger N. Nanovic ordered McCloskey to pay restitution in the amount of $15,153.11 to the Panther Valley PTO.

A lump sum of $2,000 in restitution was received on Dec. 19, the day of her sentencing, and an additional $500 will be due each month until the total amount is satisfied.

The restitution was set as a priority, meaning that all payments go to the organization before court costs are taken out, the Clerk of Courts office said.

McCloskey, who was placed in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD) program, must also pay court costs and fees, with include a $450 fee for the ARD program and $50 a month supervision fee.