Photo: Courtesy KYTV.
The former director of the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association for the 14th Judicial District is accused of stealing funds from the organization. The 14th Judicial District covers Baxter, Marion, Boone and Newton counties.
KYTV/KSPR in Springfield reports 31-year-old Katie Rylee of Harrison is accused of stealing more than $40,000 of CASA funding between April 2017 and this past July.
Rylee is facing seven felony charges and one misdemeanor. The charges include theft of property greater than $25,000, three counts of forgery in the second degree, criminal possession of a forgery device, tampering with physical evidence, obtaining a signature by deception and falsifying business records.
CASA receives funding from fines and penalties the courts order offenders to pay.
According to the affidavit, Rylee transferred funds out of CASA for personal purchases, from shopping expenses to restaurants to hotels.
The affidavit shows CASA lost an additional $20,000 because of interest on unpaid taxes and loans.
The affidavit notes Rylee returned $7,000 to CASA in August, only a fraction of what is believed to have been taken.
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