Teacher arrested, charged with theft by deception, Muscogee school district says
The Muscogee County School District announced Friday the arrest and termination of a teacher.
The news release says the teacher was “charged with multiple counts of theft by deception and criminal attempt to commit theft by deception.”
MCSD didn’t disclose in the news release the name of the teacher or the school where the teacher worked, but MCSD Police Chief Greg Arp told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email, “The name of the individual is Orithius Hardge. He worked at Kendrick High School.”
“Following an internal investigation, the teacher was recommended for termination and released from duty, effective March 27, 2026,” the news release says. “This matter remains under investigation by the Muscogee County School District Police Department.
The L-E requested a copy of the MCSD police report for this case.
According to Muscogee County Jail records online, Orithius Jaques Hardge, who is listed on Kendrick High School’s website as a graphic arts teacher, was booked into jail Thursday at 12:24 p.m. and was released on bond the same day at 11:50 p.m.
The arresting agency is listed as the MCSD Police Department.
Jail records show Hardge is charged with 18 counts of theft by deception between September 2022 and October 2025. He also is charged with 47 counts of criminal attempt to commit theft by deception during roughly the same period.
The records, however, don’t show what he allegedly stole or attempted to steal.
This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 1:47 PM.
