WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Florida elementary school principal is suspended with pay after police said she repeatedly pawned a school computer and bought it back, essentially using the device as a pay day loan.

West Riviera Elementary School Principal Tonja Lindsey-Latson apparently ran into money troubles despite her $93,200 per year salary and pawned a school-owned Apple MacBook Pro laptop on numerous occasions, receiving $300 to $500 each time, police told the Palm Beach Post.

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Police contend four incidents occurred at Cash America Pawn in West Palm Beach, where Lindsey-Lotson purchased the laptop back and paid a cash fee for the loans. A fifth transaction on Jan. 17 triggered an alert by a pawn shop tracking service that flagged authorities.

From the Post:

Confronted by a school district detective, Lindsey-Latson first claimed that the laptop was hers, then said that she confused it with an identical one that she owned, according to the arrest report. Later, she admitted that she did not currently own a similar computer.

She told the detective that she had pawned it because she had a personal emergency and needed money. Each time she pawned it, she said, she retrieved it after receiving her next paycheck or money from some other source.

The principal allegedly admitted to pawning district property at least three times “but added that the first two times she believed it may have been her own personal computer,” WPTV reports.

Deputy Superintendent David Christiansen issued a statement to parents Wednesday, stating that Lindsey-Latson will be “absent from campus for an extended period of time for personal reasons” and assistant principal Willie Nelson will take her place.

“Ms. Lindsey-Latson is suspended with pay at this time,” a district statement read. “We will begin our internal investigation once the criminal investigation is complete.”

Lindsey-Latson was arrested Thursday by school district police and charged with false verification of ownership. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on a $5,000 bond and later released.

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The principal’s alleged misdeeds generated quite a bit of scorn from commenters online, as well as some who offered support.

“What is wrong with her?” Sante Baily wrote on Facebook.

“What drug is this fool one?” Val Roberts questioned.

“She makes $93,000 a year, she must have some type of habit that’s keeping her in debt,” Geraldine Johnson opined. “It’s said.”

“People so quick to judge,” Torrie Stinson posted to the West Riviera Elementary School Facebook page. “All I know is Ms. Latson was a great principal that actually cared for her students. My child is very disappointed and hurt right now.”