A former bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to stealing from Troy’s public schools avoided prison time but must pay nearly $27,000 in restitution, prosecutors said Thursday.

Sherry Hassey Tucker, 53, of Ramer, also must spend two years on supervised probation, the Alabama attorney general’s office said in a statement.

Tucker appeared in court Wednesday in Pike County and admitted to pocketing money that was collected from teachers and parents for school events and concealing the thefts with a fake receipt book, the statement said.

The Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts uncovered the missing money during an audit, Attorney General Steve Marshall said.