A local woman who organized a fundraiser to help the family of a man who died in the July 2015 flood has been charged with a felony after police say she didn’t distribute all of the money from the event.
Jessica M. George, 41, of Nashville, was charged with theft, a Level 6 felony, on Aug. 28.
A report by Nashville Police Investigator Brian Lucas says that all of the money from a disaster benefit George staged at the Pine Room Tavern on July 20, 2015 couldn’t be accounted for. The money was supposed to go people affected by the flooding, as well as to the family of Travis Watkins, a man who drowned in a rain-swollen creek.
Lucas’ report said he was made aware of the possible theft in May.
A county employee told police that George had come into the office shortly after the benefit, asking where to donate a large envelope filled with cash. The employee directed her to the Brown County Commissioners’ office, which had set up the Brown County Disaster Relief Fund after the flood.
On July 22, 2015, George made a presentation at a commissioners meeting stating that nearly $4,000 had been raised for flood victims and Watkins’ family. The commissioners had told George to give money for flood victims to the YMCA and to speak to the YMCA director about the donation, the affidavit states.
George told the commissioners that Watkins’ family had received their share of the donations.
When Lucas spoke with the director in May 2017 — almost two years after the flood — she said she has yet to receive money from George. She said George had stopped by to see her, but she wasn’t there, so George left her a note saying she would return, the affidavit states.
She said that when she later saw George around town, she felt that George “purposely and obviously avoided her.”
In March 2016, a county employee emailed the sheriff with concerns that the donations were not distributed as promised; the employee wanted to know where the money went. Sheriff Scott Southerland said he spoke with George, who assured him she was taking the money to the YMCA, according to the affidavit.
In April 2017, George was contacted on Facebook about the status of the money. She said the majority went to Watkins’ family and the rest was taken to nonprofit groups.
Lucas spoke with Watkins’ mother in May 2017. She said she had received $1,000 from George that was used for funeral expenses. George deposited the money directly into his mother’s account, the affidavit states. George had told Watkins’ mother that more money was coming, but the mother told police she did not receive any more, the report said.
The mother said that shortly after George deposited the money, George messaged her on Facebook asking to borrow money.
Lucas interviewed George in person on May 16, 2017. She said that she alone organized the fundraiser for the flood victims and that the main reason was to raise money for Watkins’ family. She told police that the total raised was around $3,000, including checks written to Watkins’ mother directly, and cash.
George told police she deposited $1,105 into Watkins’ account and that she had given personal checks totaling $400 to his mother. When asked about the YMCA donation, George said she tried three times to reach someone there, but was unsuccessful.
George said she decided to donate the rest of the money to organizations around Nashville instead of the YMCA because she said thought the YMCA money would go to the ambulance service, which is already supported by emergency management, the affidavit states.
Lucas checked with the Salvation Army and New Life Community Church — two of the places George said she donated money to — and neither had receipts showing George donated the money, the police report said.
However, the Salvation Army reported having four anonymous donations made in August and September 2015 totaling $286; and New Life Community Church said it had no record of any donation being made in George’s name, but the donations could have been made anonymously, the police report said.
On May 30, George told Lucas that she would provide video of her giving donations. Lucas had not received those videos as of Aug. 28, his report said.
George was booked into the Brown County jail Aug. 22 on a warrant from another district. At press time, a court hearing on the theft charge had not been set.
