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Academy school manager ordered back to Florida for violating parole

NewsCentral Staff

Current manager of the Christian Progressive Academy, Christina Perera is being ordered back to Florida for alleged parole violations. Perera is a convicted felon who is being accused by former school owner, Betty Tolbert of turning the school into a for profit business and squeezing her out.

Last week, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning was looking into employee issues at the school. A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Corrections said Georgia authorities alerted them to parole violations by Perera.

Perera came to Georgia in February after a checkered past in Florida dealing with fraud, drugs, and theft charges. A once promising business woman, she found herself on the decline after her day care facility, Kids Zone in Ocala, Fl was denied funds from a child food program after the Department of Health investigated into the center. They found out Perera submitted false information on the application among numerous other claims.

She operated under many business names and was the subject of an Ocala newspaper investigation entitled “Trail of Deception."

Perera was arrested in 2008 and charged with grand theft, identity theft and forgery after using another woman's name to buy $81,000 in security equipment for the day care center. Perera was arrested multiple times after that for violating her probation, which includes testing positive for drugs, and two counts of felony check fraud. On top of those legal troubles, she was investigated in connection to an animal neglect case in early 2011. Neighbors called authorities after seeing at least one dead buffalo and other poorly cared for animals on her property.

A spokesperson from the Florida state corrections office said Perera was allowed to travel to Georgia earlier this year after telling them she'd be working as an independent contractor in property management. Instead, Perera worked as a manager at Progressive Christian Academy, going by the name Christina Hawkins.

Perera is no longer allowed to be in the state of Georgia and must return to Florida by October 23.

Perera has not been charged with any crimes by Georgia or Florida.
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