PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona State University Preparatory Academy managing director was arrested in Florida in April for reportedly walking out of a store with a shopping cart full of items she did not pay for, according to an arrest report.
Amy McGrath was arrested April 4 in Orlando after allegedly walking out of a Target with almost $970 worth of merchandise without paying, according to the arrest report.
McGrath was stopped after passing through the anti-theft metal detectors and told officials she intended to pay and needed to talk to her sister on the phone, but was not getting reception.
Surveillance video showed McGrath holding her phone while pushing the cart past the anti-theft metal detectors and being stopped before the last exit doors, the report said.
Her attorney, Matthew P. Ferry, said in an emailed statement to Arizona’s Family that McGrath never left the store, that all merchandise was accounted for and that she had no intention to steal.
McGrath was arrested on a grand theft charge and given a $2,500 bond.
Ferry said McGrath has not been formally charged and should be presumed innocent.
“We are confident that a complete and fair review of the evidence will confirm that the filing of formal charges is not warranted,” Ferry said.
He also said McGrath underwent a privately administered polygraph that found that she was not lying when retelling what happened.
“We respectfully ask the public and the media to reserve judgment while that review runs its course,” Ferry said.
I represent Amy McGrath, and I issue this statement on her behalf regarding events that occurred at a Target store in Orlando on April 4, 2026.
At the outset, one fact deserves emphasis because it has been absent from the initial reports: Ms. McGrath has not been charged with any crime. An arrest is an accusation, not a conviction, and no formal charges have been filed against her. Under our system of justice she is presumed innocent, and we are confident that a complete and fair review of the evidence will confirm that the filing of formal charges is not warranted. We respectfully ask the public and the media to reserve judgment while that review runs its course.
Amy McGrath is a 43-year-old wife, a mother of three, and a lifelong educator who has devoted her career to serving students and families. On the evening in question, she was doing Easter shopping for her family. As she shopped, her cell phone battery drained to two percent. She was trying to reach her husband and her twin sister — who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer — to let them know she was okay before her phone died. Unable to get a signal inside the store, she moved toward the entrance and briefly stepped into the interior vestibule in an effort to get better reception. She did not exit to the parking lot, and every item in her cart was accounted for.
To eliminate any doubt about her account, Ms. McGrath voluntarily submitted to an independent polygraph examination administered by a retired thirty-one-year Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and certified polygraph examiner. The examination found no deception. Ms. McGrath truthfully stated that she had no intention of taking merchandise without paying, and truthfully confirmed that she entered the vestibule for the sole purpose of obtaining a cell signal to reach her family.
Amy has been forthcoming and cooperative from the first moment, and her account has never wavered. We are grateful for the patience of those who know her, and we ask that her family’s privacy be respected as this matter is brought to what we are confident will be its proper conclusion.
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