A Robeson County Public Schools teacher was arrested earlier this month for financial crimes involving a family member.

STEPHEN FRANKLIN BULLARD

Stephen Franklin Bullard was arrested by the Red Springs Police Department on June 16 on multiple charges related to financial and other crimes involving his grandmother.

The charges against Bullar include six felony counts of Exploitation of a Disabled or Elder Adult, six felony counts of Identity Theft, six felony counts of Obtaining Property by False Pretense, one misdemeanor count of Common Law Uttering, and one misdemeanor count of Forgery.

The arrest came after a 2-year investigation into Bullard, per the Red Springs Police Department.

Bullard received a $100,000.00 un-secured bond and was taken to the Robeson County Detention Center.  Jail records do not list him as a current inmate, indicating he posted the bond and was released.

“Stephen Franklin Bullard, a Red Springs High School teacher, assisted his family overseeing the day to day needs of his grandmother, Virginia B. Lowery. During the years that Bullard assisted with his grandmother’s needs (2015-2020), he was able to access his
grandmother’s banking account removing monies and using them for his own financial benefit,” the statement posted to Facebook by the Red Springs Police Department reads.

The statement goes on to say, “As time went on, Bullard began forging documents in his grandmother’s name, which led to him obtaining multiple credit card accounts and a forged power of Attorney over his grandmother and her finances.”

“It is a shame that something like this has happened to one of our residents here in Red Springs and to make matters worse, this involves one of our high school teachers, which is heartbreaking,” Chief Brent Adkins stated. “I am proud of the diligence of our investigators and knowing that they have worked tirelessly over the past years on this case.”

The Red Springs Police Department’s statement implies Bullard was still employed with Robeson County Public Schools, however, the district has not yet issued a formal statement. A request has been placed with the district for more information and this article will be updated if a response is received.

Update: A spokesperson for the district says Bullard resigned.

“Mr. Stephen Bullard was employed with PSRC from August 19, 2013, through June 20, 2023, as a Social Studies teacher. He resigned on June 21, 2023,” the spokesperson said in an email response to our inquiry.

As of the publication of this article, Bullard was still listed as a staff member of the English Language Arts department for Red Springs High School.

A May 2020 Facebook post by Robeson County Public Schools congratulated Bullard on being accepted into the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (Higher Education) at Fayetteville State University.

The post also cited Bullard as holding “a Bachelors of Arts in History from UNCP, a Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies from UNCW, and a Masters of Arts in Education in Professional School Counseling from UNCP,” as well as completing “a School Administration Add-on from UNCG.”

“Mr. Bullard was awarded the Teacher of the Year at RSHS for the 2019-2020 school year.
He has been at RSHS for seven years teaching in the Social Studies department,” the May 2020 post says.

A North Carolina teaching license was located for Bullard with an expiration date of June 30, 2028.

The license covers the areas of  School Counselor, Health and Physical Education, English 9-12, Language Arts 6-9, Social Studies 9-12, Social Studies 6-9, Social Studies: History 9-12, Social Studies: Sociology 9-12. Safety and Driver Education, Reading K-12, Journalism Endorsement, Physical Education, School Administrator: Principal