By Patric Hedlund
A former officer of Frazier Mountain Little League has been charged with two counts of forgery and one count of embezzlement from the children’s sports league. The Kern County District Attorney’s office issued a warrant July 26, requiring Stacy Ann Smith to appear in court in Taft to face charges on August 23.
Current officers of FMLL tell how disbelief and denial by Smith’s friends and colleagues on the board of directors turned to dismay as up to $25,000 in losses from 2011 and 2012 were discovered. Jobana Townsend said in an interview that she was FMLL vice president in April 2012 when board members were alerted by local merchants that FMLL bills were going unpaid. They discovered that the organization’s insurance had been allowed to lapse for nonpayment and fees due to Little League’s Region 40 to maintain their charter had also been missed.
As the picture became clearer, 10 board members pulled together, Townsend recalls. She stepped up to the presidency and Ponni Stuart took on the treasurer’s role to work with the rest of the board to pore over the accounts. They then sought outside assistance from the Region 40 accountant, who confirmed their concerns.
Within two weeks, on May 11 2012, Townsend and a former officer, whose name was on one of the forged checks, went to the Kern County Sheriff’s Frazier Park substation to turn the matter over for criminal investigation.
Frazier Park substation’s Lead Deputy Brian Knox said he documented 26 instances of forgery and embezzlement that spanned a two year period while Smith was treasurer and then holding the dual role of president and treasurer.
Stacy Smith said she did not have time to talk when contacted by The Mountain Enterprise.
New 2013 President James Tomlinson says with conviction: “What I want people to know is that baseball is back on track!”
He and other fathers donated labor to clear lots to raise funds for this year’s season.
Townsend agrees: “We are proud of how we rallied together for children to have a sport to come back to. We kept baseball on the mountain for the kids.”
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Photo captions (see The Mountain Enterprise e-Edition for photos):
Above left, Frazier Mountain Little League volunteers have always been a close-knit and hardworking group. These volunteers (shown in 2009) are celebrating a successful tournament. Stacy Ann Smith (also in center photo) was treasurer in 2011 and then both president and treasurer of FMLL. Above right, Sgt. Mark Brown said Lead Deputy Brian Knox conducted an investigation that documented more than 26 allegations of forgery and embezzlement by Smith. She will appear in court on August 23 in Taft.
This is part of the August 16, 2013 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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