A Brown County woman has been charged with a felony after police say she admitted to an Indiana State Police sergeant that she stole about $7,000 from the Brown County High School Athletic Booster Club.
Melanie A. Redmond, 48, of Nineveh, was charged with Level 6 felony theft March 27.
The booster club is run by a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The club is a separate entity from the school; it is responsible for raising money for the athletics department by selling concessions and hosting benefits.
Redmond had been treasurer for two-and-a-half years.
Last week, booster club President Jennifer VanNess said Remond was no longer treasurer and that a new treasurer will be accepted at the group’s next monthly meeting.
On March 9, Sgt. Chris Fears was contacted by a member of the club who said that Redmond admitted to her that she took money from the club for personal use, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The member was made aware that money was missing when the athletic department’s bookkeeper went to Sam’s Club to get on the school’s account and accidentally logged into the booster club’s account.
“It was noticed that the balance in our Sam’s Club account was much higher than we believed it to be,” VanNess said.
“It was under our impression that every month, our Sam’s Club bill was paid off in full, as reported in financial reports at our meeting. That, then, caused us to look into some other areas.”
VanNess said that Redmond was the only person keeping track of the money and she would make reports to the club at their meetings.
“It’s just very unfortunate that this has happened. We take raising money for the school very seriously,” she said.
After the Sam’s Club balance was discovered, a club member contacted Redmond to get financial papers, checkbooks and account information on the club. When the two met, Redmond did not bring the financial information, but did tell the member that “I’ve done something” and “I need to work it out,” the probable cause affidavit states.
When the member told Redmond she was going to the athletics director with her concerns about missing money, Redmond admitted that she had taken it, the affidavit states.
About $7,000 was found to be missing from the booster club’s account, but Redmond later admitted the number was closer to $7,400, the police report said.
Redmond asked for the member not to say anything and that she would put the money back in the bank when she returned from vacation in Florida.
Upon her return, Redmond had not replaced the money, but she did return all financial information and keys. She told the member that she could not get the money from a relative like she had planned, according to the affidavit.
Redmond again asked the member not to say anything, as she was trying to get the money from a friend and asked for more time.
On March 20, the club member gave police the text messages she had exchanged with Redmond and reported that the money had not been returned.
The next day, Fears found Redmond at work at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch in Nashville where she is the branch manager. She followed him to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department for an interview.
Redmond said over the two-and-a-half years she served as treasurer, she had not deposited all of the money earned from the concession stand. She said she spent it on things for her family, like bills, travel ball teams, gas and food.
She said she took the money from the concession account because “it was just cash and that it was an easy way to do it,” the affidavit states.
She said she would take out different amounts, like $40 for gas, and that she would put notes in the deposit bag to remind herself. She said she would return some of the money if she didn’t use it all, then destroy the note.
She said the largest amount she took was about $800, and one year, she took money out to pay for Christmas gifts for her family, the affidavit states.
Her family’s vacations were paid for with tax refund checks. She said she thought about paying the money back using tax refunds, but she didn’t want her husband to find out she took the money. She did not document or log any amount of money she took, the affidavit said.
Redmond was booked into the Brown County jail March 21 and was released almost immediately after posting $255 of a $2,500 bond. No court date had been set at press time, according to online court records.
“The district appreciates everything that the Brown County High School Booster Club does for our student athletes and coaches,” Brown County Schools Superintendent Laura Hammack said March 28. “We are very disappointed to hear the news; however, we are confident the future of the Boosters will continue to provide extraordinary support services for our students and families.”
On March 29, staff at the Nashville branch of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles would not comment on whether Redmond was still employed. Ashley Hungate, communications director for the Indiana State Personnel Department, reported on April 2 via email that Redmond had been terminated as branch manager on March 29.
