Middle Township District Fires Teacher After $1,250 Casino Theft

Amanda Crafts, a 35-year-old computer teacher at Middle Township Middle School, was terminated from her position after being arrested in connection with a robbery at an Atlantic City hotel. The school district confirmed the dismissal in a statement released on Oct. 19, noting that the employee had been fired following her arrest.

Crafts was charged in an incident that occurred on Oct. 9. Police report that a male victim met Crafts and her friend, Veda Engel, at a bar within a hotel resort. After exchanging contact information with Engel, the victim went to a hotel room where the two women allegedly restrained him to a bed.

According to the complaint, Engel forced sexual acts on the victim before stating, “That’s what you get for $1,250.” While Crafts held the victim down, Engel used his facial recognition to unlock his phone and processed four Apple Pay transactions totaling $1,250 to her own account. A detective noted in the affidavit that these transactions were made without the victim's consent.

Crafts appeared in court on Oct. 15, where she told Judge Timothy Maguire via video that she has four children and has never been arrested before. She described the situation as being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Both women were released from custody on that date after being held for nearly a week. The state agreed to their pretrial release, requiring them to check in with the court every other week.

Engel, 23, of Cape May, was also charged in the incident. Her attorney stated that she works at SoFresh SoClean Commercial Cleaning in Ocean City. Engel has a prior history with prostitution-related charges. In December of the previous year, she allegedly offered an undercover state police detective sex for $1,000 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and was released on a summons at the time.

Superintendent Stephanie DeRose addressed the termination in the district's statement. She said the district’s responsibility is to protect students and ensure that staff meet expected standards. DeRose emphasized that the safety and well-being of students remain the district's highest priority.