Official Fined For Using Grandma's Parking Placard

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A D.C. schools employee has been fined $1,500 for using her dead grandmother's handicapped-parking placard to park for free at work.

The Washington Times reports that the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability approved the fine Thursday against Deitra Bryant Mallory, who works with disabled students. Officials say Mallory earns a six-figure salary as director of related services.

Officials say investigators saw Bryant Mallory use the South Carolina placard four times. When she was confronted, officials say Bryant Mallory said it was her grandmother's and she used it to transport her. But later she admitted that her grandmother died in 2008 and she continued to use it.

The case is part of an effort to root out government employees improperly using disability placards for free parking.