Mother and daughter accused of stealing from daycare, HCSO says

AVON PARK, Fla. – An Avon Park mother and daughter are accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from a nonprofit child care center.

According to the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office, Tikia Melissa Robertson, 50, and her daughter Wilneisha Akia Ise Gammage, 27, were each charged with grand larceny, fraud to obtain more than $50,000, illegal use of credit cards and uttering a forged instrument .

Robertson is the former director of the Avon Park Community Child Development Center.

According to investigators, the fraud was discovered by a new center treasurer who was reviewing financial records in January 2023.

Robertson resigned in May 2023 after she was confronted about the transactions, according to investigators.

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Between January 15, 2020 and December 29, 2022, Robertson is accused of writing more than 80 counterfeit checks to her daughter, totaling more than $93,000.

Investigators say the center’s debit card was also used multiple times to pay Gammage’s car payment, car insurance and Verizon bill, totaling nearly $6,000.

In total, investigators say they believe the two suspects stole $98,870.94.

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