SAN ANTONIO – The Northside Independent School District has fired a teacher's aide in connection with an identity theft case.
According to NISD spokesman Pascual Gonzalez, Jason Miller, 25, was terminated Thursday after police said he confessed to stealing other people's personal information and using it to open bank accounts, secure payday loans and obtain credit cards.
"Obviously we were very distressed to learn that an employee of Northside School District is involved in criminal activities," Gonzalez said. "As soon as he confessed to the police that, in fact, he had stolen these identities, we fired him."
Gonzalez said Miller was hired as a teacher's aide at Beard Elementary in 2010.
It doesn't appear Miller accessed any school district employees' information, Gonzalez said.
An arrest affidavit stated that Live Oak police first learned of the case last month from a bank employee who noticed that someone had opened accounts in various people's names, but all the accounts had Miller's address.
Police said one victim told them he had filled out an application at Miller's insistence when he worked as a judge for a high school debate.
Investigators said they later searched Miller's apartment on Talavera Parkway and found forms that had been filled out by eight victims. Police said they also found paperwork showing the names and personal information of other people, although it did not appear they had been victimized.
Miller was arrested Wednesday on a charge of fraudulent use of identifying information.
Police said they've identified one other suspect but are not arresting him at this time.
Gonzalez said as a result of this case, Northside ISD is no longer allowing people to download and print background forms from its website. The forms will be available only for online submission.