By Gordon Anderson | gordon@rantnc.com
Embezzlement charges against a former administrator of a local charter school brought in 2024 were dismissed by a judge Tuesday after the school in question apparently stopped cooperating with the prosecution.
Shawn Williams was the lead administrator of the MINA Charter School on Industrial Drive (later renamed Rising Leaders Academy) in Sanford until 2023, and is a former Democratic chairman of the Lee County Board of Education. He was accused by Sanford police in 2024 of taking more than $100,000 in school funds, changing passwords to school accounts and taking files that belonged to the school. He faced three felony counts of embezzlement.
But Lee County Assistant District Attorney Emily Everest signed a dismissal form on Friday indicating that RLA leaders “are no longer responsive to the requests from law enforcement, or the DA’s office to return contact or meet” and that “without the cooperation of the representatives, the State will not have sufficient admissible evidence to proceed with trial.”
“This outcome confirms what we maintained from the beginning – that there was no evidence to support these charges,” Williams said. “I’m grateful for the court’s decision and for attorneys who stood tall when others would not. Today allows my family and me to finally move forward.”
Williams said the case arose from a broader dispute he had with the school. Williams had previously filed a civil lawsuit against the school, and the school filed counterclaims. That dispute was settled and dismissed in Lee County Superior Court, although the criminal matter remained open until the dismissal Tuesday.