$10k gone from soccer club dues

CORNWALL —A local woman has been arrested, accused of stealing more than $10,000 from a local youth soccer organization.

It was Bethany Thompson’s suspension as Cornwall’s recreation director that prompted a look at the financial records of Berkshire United Soccer Club.

Thompson, 38, a wife and mother of two children, turned herself in at the state police Troop B  barracks in North Canaan on April 5 on a warrant charging her with second-degree larceny. She was released on a $10,000 bond and will be arraigned in Bantam Superior Court April 19.

Thompson was suspended without pay from her recreation director post at a March 5 emergency meeting of the Cornwall Board of Selectmen. First Selectman Gordon Ridgway declined to elaborate this week on the reasons, beyond that the decision was based on “poor job performance.�

An emergency meeting is allowed, as it suggests, under extreme circumstances, specifically as described on an agenda, “to take action to protect town property, assets, funds, building and equipment.�

An investigation into about $1,200 in missing town funds is ongoing in Cornwall. Ridgway would confirm only that the funds were missing registration fees for town recreation programs.

“It’s in the hands of the state police now,� he said.

Berkshire United President Ken Stone told The Journal that, as soon as he heard about Cornwall’s concerns, he went to the Salisbury Bank and Trust Company to check the club’s account balance. It was only $600.

“I knew a large amount of money was missing,� Stone said, “and Bethany was the only person who could have taken it.�

Stone went directly to the state police. At their advice and the bank’s, the club also took action to reorganize how they handle their accounting.

Thompson sent an e-mail to Stone shortly after, resigning as the club treasurer.

“She said in the e-mail that she was sorry for what she had done, that she had been desperate,� Stone said.

This is only the latest in an ongoing series of embezzlements in the Northwest Corner — an old-fashioned corner of the world where people still tend to assume they can trust their co-workers and neighbors.

Add in the ravages of a bad economy, and temptation that becomes irresistible can be the unhappy result. Many organizations in the area —from school boards to banks — have been working to tighten up bookkeeping. Some still seem to fear insulting their volunteers, however.

“Bethany was a trusted volunteer who had been in the organization a lot longer than I have,� Stone said. “It wouldn’t have occurred to me to not trust her.�

Thompson was also the club’s registrar. When she took on the treasurer’s position as well, last October, it gave her exclusive access to one aspect of accounting. She received and recorded payments for registration fees, and made the bank deposits.

The missing funds could have left the club in a precarious position, but Stone said there has been a tremendous amount of support that should see them through the financial crisis.

He explained that the funds were an accumulation of registration fees that go back to last fall. A small portion of each fee goes to the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association (CJSA), which supplies the club with liability insurance.

“Luckily, I was doing registrations for the spring. As president, I felt I should know what the job was like, so I had the latest fee payments,� Stone said. “We have enough to pay a portion of CJSA fees and to put officials on the field. We still need things like balls and med kits, but we have been told by the CJSA and others to go ahead with the season.�

Berkshire United, organized in 2001, currently has 110 youngsters signed up for 17 spring soccer teams from the six Region One towns.

Stone said they have about 360 families in their e-mail list. Two representatives from each town comprise the board of directors. All club positions are voluntary.

“Out of something bad often comes good you didn’t expect,� Stone said. “We have gotten a lot of support from officials and the community. We are in much better shape than I thought we would be under such circumstances. I am very encouraged.�