News
‘Wee Cats’ Former Coach Is Suspended From Another Position
By: Susan Tebben | The Athens Messenger
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A former Trimble cheerleading coach now facing a felony theft charge has been suspended from another post within the township.
Christa Shutts was suspended indefinitely as secretary/treasurer of the Trimble Township Wastewater Treatment District at an emergency special meeting of the district's board of trustees on Monday.
"The board decided … to suspend Christa Shutts without pay (and) await further development on the outcome of her criminal case," said Frank Lavelle, legal counsel for the district.
Shutts is charged with the alleged theft of "financial" account funds from the Wee Cats cheerleading team, a community youth group. She is charged with allegedly stealing between $1,000 and $7,500 from the team.
Statements and investigation documents showed that at least $1,622 expenses allegedly charged by Shutts from the Wee Cats fund were considered "questionable."
Parents of children in the Wee Cats have said they never saw more than $3,000 in the funds of the Wee Cats, but investigators told them the totals from fundraisers were possibly near $10,000.
Shutts was also varsity coach for the Trimble High School cheerleading team, but resigned for an unknown reason on March 18. It is unknown if the allegation of theft or an investigation into the alleged theft was a factor in Shutts' resignation.
The attorney listed in court documents for Shutts, Sky Pettey, declined to comment on the case.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said the investigation and charges against Shutts had no connection to the waste water district.
A new treasurer has not been appointed for the wastewater district.
Lavelle made no other comment on the decision. A call to the board president, Richard Buchanan was unreturned.