A former Dierks Booster Club bookkeeper has been charged with allegedly taking more than $52,000 from the club through theft and fraudulent use of a credit/debit card.
Kacie Nicole Quinn, 39, of Dierks, was charged Monday, May 1 in Howard County Circuit Court with two counts of fraudulent use of a credit/debit card and one count of theft of property.
The charges come after members of the booster club contacted Dierks Police Chief John McKee with concerns about missing money in January. The case was then handed to Arkansas State Police Investigator Pete Penney.
A subpoena was obtained for the club’s financial records and those of Kaci and Chase Quinn, who was the club’s president prior to a special January booster meeting when a new treasurer was elected and an interim president was approved by the club board.
Investigator Penney determined that booster club funds were being transferred to the Quinn’s personal account. Records also allegedly showed payments from the club to the Quinn’s personal credit card accounts, in addition to payments to personal accounts for monthly payments to various stores and services.
Receipts from Kaci Quinn also allegedly showed items purchased “obviously not for the Booster Club” such as baby clothes and formula, Michelob Ultra beer and a personal massager.
According to case information, Kaci Quinn is accused of taking $5,200 in cash from the club’s building fund from May 10 to June 22; $6,532.41 from the main account from January 2022 to June 30, 2022 in personal transfers and purchases; $7,008.54 from July 2022 to Dec. 31, 2023 in transfers and purchases; $13,060 from January 2022 to December 2022 in cash withdrawals from booster accounts with small denomination deposits to the Quinn’s account following a ballgame or fundraiser; and approximately $20,000, which is the amount that Penney determined should have been left in the account when Kaci Quinn was removed as club treasurer but only amounted to $2,578.04.
Penney noted in his investigation that the $20,000 amount was from $30,350 worth of signs sold by the club as fundraisers during the tenure of Kaci Quinn. The club’s expenses for the signs were $7,429.85, which should have left a profit of $22,920.15 in the account.
On Jan. 20, Kaci Quinn turned over all the Dierks Booster Club records and receipts in her possession.
Earlier this year, interim booster club president Cody Tedford issued a statement to the newspaper stating that the club had basically started anew with finances and was working to provide the same support the club has for many years. “We can say to all donors gong forward that they can trust every penny donated will go to the student-athletes of Dierks Schools.”
