Published: January 25, 2008 09:50 am      

Veedersburg woman faces theft charge

Money taken from PTO, baseball team

COVINGTON, Ind. — A Veedersburg woman has been charged with taking money from the Southeast Fountain Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization and the Veedersburg-Van Buren Summer League.

Teresa DePugh, 33, faces 26 counts of theft when she served as treasurer of the two groups from 2005 to 2007. She will appear in Fountain County Circuit Court for an omnibus hearing on March 28.

DePugh reportedly took more than $21,000 from the PTO and more than $13,000 from the baseball league.

The missing money surfaced last May when Mark McGrady, deputy prosecuting attorney, contacted the Indiana State Police when the PTO money was missing from the account.

“I was asked (by McGrady) to look into a possible theft case from PTO,” said Tom Minnicus of the state police. “McGrady said his sister-in-law, Lori McGrady, was president of the organization and wanted someone to look into money reported missing.”

Minnicus first met with Lori McGrady and Audrey Hayman, PTO secretary, at the Hillsboro Police Department.

McGrady said DePugh admitted taking $11,975 from the PTO. DePugh told McGrady she was willing to pay the money back and would refinance her home.

Most of the missing PTO money was from fundraisers, including pie sales, cookie dough and other items.

As treasurer of the baseball league, DePugh is accused of using the league’s debit card for personal use and taking cash from player signups. She wrote a check to her husband, Rob, for $1,600 on June 27, 2005, for reimbursement of a pitching machine, although no records indicate that such a machine was bought.

DePugh posted bond after turning herself in to the Fountain County Sheriff’s Department.