Mom Charged With Stealing From Youth League

POSTED: Tuesday, February 17, 2009
UPDATED: 11:58 am EST February 18, 2009

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A hockey mom from Chelsea has been charged with embezzling over $800,000 from a youth hockey organization.

According to police, Kimberly Knight volunteered to balance the bank books for the Ann Arbor Amateur Hockey Association, then helped herself to close to $1 million dollars of the association's money.

"At first it was rather small amounts here or there," said Det. Jami Grigal of the Pittsfield Township Police Department. "Most likely there was an intention of paying (the money) back and then when the pay backs weren't coming more money was needed."

Grigal said Knight used the money to shower herself and family members with extravagant gifts that included vehicles, jewelry and vacations.

Knight remains free on personal bond and will appear for a preliminary hearing March 5.

Local 4 was unable to reach Knight or her attorney.

"As the investigation began I basically had to track that money and find out where it went," Grigal said. "We located a Cadillac Escalade that was purchased. There was a dump truck purchased, there were a couple family vacations."

Police said the 2005 Escalade was registered to Knight's husband, but that he is not suspected of any wrongdoing. The dump truck, Grigal said, was allegedly for Knight's struggling family business.

According to case documents obtained by Local 4 News, Knight wrote 50 personal checks to herself. Some of the spending reported by Local 4 included; $3,890 for diamond earrings, a $2,800 bracelet, a watch for $5,300 and another $5,300 for 33 Pandora beads. Police said the checks were cashed between February 2005 and May 2007 and were written in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $17,000.

Those funds, according to police, came from one of several personal accounts Knight set-up at local banks where the association also had accounts. Police said using the same bank made it easier for Knight to make transfers and purchases easier.

"The parents aren't seeing an interruption in their kid's hockey activities, and they're still going on as business as usual, but the money invested for capital projects or a 'rainy day' are gone," Grigal said, who added that some of the money is still unaccounted for.

"It's a sickening situation when money that is supposed to go to the kids is spent on personal needs. That's pretty low," said Matt Dejanovich, a team sponsor whose son plays in the organization. "We've got a great hockey program and it deserves a lot better."

Checking Out Youth Sports Coaches

Association Guest Column: National Recreation and Park Association

The old youth sports mantra, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game," has nearly disappeared from the vocabulary of some of today's volunteers. The "can do" attitude of yesteryear has given way to a competitive, win-focused playing experience. And too often, coaches have acted inappropriately toward a child on the team-whether it's getting too emotional, yelling or belittling them. In the worst case, the media has reported incidents in which coaches have crossed the line further and molested a child. The few volunteers involved in these incidents have begun to tarnish the solid reputation of competent community youth service providers and have soured the experiences of families nationwide.

The unfortunate reality is that today, parents don't feel as safe leaving their children in the hands of strangers-in some cases, with good reason. Statistics have shown that the number of potential volunteer coaches with criminal histories is staggering. Just among the segment of volunteers serving as youth coaches, 7.5 percent have criminal histories and 2.5 percent have criminal records with sexual and violent felonies. This number is much too high when the safety of children is at stake.

Fortunately, community decision-makers have the power to improve the caliber of volunteers who represent local communities.

As the national organization for parks and recreation, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has stepped up to the plate with a program to help communities ensure the safety of children through proper volunteer management practices. An example of proactive steps to address this issue is "Operation TLC2: Making Communities Safe," a new public safety endeavor that provides thorough national criminal background checks for all potential volunteers, as well as training tools to ensure safe, quality volunteers in youth programs.

The NRPA has partnered with three companies to create this safety program, each offering its expertise to create the most comprehensive screening, training and identification initiative for volunteer coaches in park district programs across the nation. Operation TLC2 aims to restore the integrity of volunteerism and emphasize sportsmanship and appropriate conduct.

Southeastern Security Consultants Inc. (SSCI), a volunteer screening company, will provide TLC2 park and recreation agencies with comprehensive national background checks and screenings.

The problem is that most background checks currently search only the state of origin for a potential park and recreation agency volunteer's criminal record. It is not difficult for a volunteer with a criminal background to seep through the cracks of the system and get a job coaching children. The scope of SSCI's technology allows for further scrutinizing of criminal backgrounds on a national level, eliminating potential coaches who have a history of criminal activity.

Once a volunteer has passed the screening process, it is important to follow up with thorough training to teach volunteers to effectively work with children. Too many times, volunteers get so emotional that it ends up spoiling the fun for the children. Proper training for public service is the necessary next step to create a meaningful, beneficial relationship between the coach and the children.

Another essential TLC2 partner is DMP Consulting, which specializes in training volunteers and has contributed to the development of a comprehensive training resource to effectively prepare volunteers to provide quality services.

Finally, the properly screened and trained volunteers need to be clearly identified to distinguish them as official volunteer coaches. TSS Photography, a youth school and sports photography franchise, will provide a customized photo identification tag with specialized credentialing information and lanyard within five days. More than 250 TSS franchise locations will help implement Operation TLC2 in communities across the nation.

The entire process of performing the background check, training the volunteer and creating the photo ID badge takes approximately 10 days. Park districts or sports leagues pay a one-time fee and are also eligible for a discounted TLC2 charter organization fee for background checks.

Since the official launch of Operation TLC2 at the NRPA convention in Seattle in October 2006, more than 35 communities have signed up to be charter organizations-and many more are soon to follow. Volunteer management plays a vital role in local park and recreation programs. Operation TLC2 will enhance the safety and fun of the experience for coaches, players and their families.

This article can be found on Recreation Management: The Magazine with Ideas & Solutions for Recreation, Sports & Fitness Facilities Managers. Click here to see the article.

Sex Offender Caught Volunteering at Youth Football Game

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -  A 28-year-old man who is a registered sex offender was caught on tape volunteering at the Pine Forest Athletic Association park at a youth football game.

"The least of my concerns should be worrying about whether or not they're (my children) under supervision by a sex offender," said Johnathan Williams, a father of five who lives near the park.

Police reports show Frazier was a coach at Lee High School and admitted to having sex multiple times with a student under 15.

He was put on sex offender probation for three years. But during that time, police say he was back on the field with young athletes.

In the video you can see him holding a down marker on the sideline. You can also see him having contact with young players. We went to his home but he wasn't there.

Parents like Williams say they just want their kids to be safe wherever they are.

"Regardless of whatever school or whatever area, I think they should do a thorough background check of the individuals supervising our kids."

The Pine Forest Athletic Association is a park that sponsors Pop Warner Activities.

We spoke with the President of the Pop Warner Football Conference.

He says they do thorough background checks on any volunteer who would supervise children. He says volunteers who hold chains do not supervise children and therefore do not need to go through background checks.

This article can be found on CBS 47. Click here to see the article.

New Hampshire School Finds Volunteer on Sex Offender Registry

By Associated Press
January 21, 2009 7:21 PM

DERRY — A volunteer at a Derry elementary school has been banned after the principal discovered his name on the state's sex offender registry.

The 69-year-old man had been volunteering at the Earnest Barka School every week since it opened more than four years ago.
A letter was sent home with students last week informing parents that someone listed on the sex offender list had been volunteering at the school.

The school district turned to Derry police to investigate, and after reviewing the conduct of the volunteer and the letter of the law, police determined no laws were broken.

Capt. Vern Thomas says a sex offender is not allowed to guide or coach students or have direct contact with them under a certain set of circumstances.

Police say the man's name has not been released because he didn't commit a crime. According to the state's sex offender registry, in 1984, the man was convicted of two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault on a child under 18.

According to state law, people convicted of sex crimes prior to Jan. 1, 1988, are not required to register, but since the man's prison sentence went beyond 1988, police learned in November that he is required to register quarterly.

Police said the man complied with the law, and that's why his name suddenly appeared on the registry Web site, which is updated weekly.

Superintendent Maryellen Hannon said she believes no student was ever in danger.

"We believe when we found it, we quickly took care of the situation," she said.

Convicted sex offender caught at camp

POSTED: July, 17 2009

SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - Summer camp is supposed to be a fun and safe place for kids. But one Savannah couple was shocked when they discovered a convicted sex offender was working at their children's camp.

Frances Mahdi and her husband were checking the Chatham County Sheriff's Department sex offender website when they saw a familiar face, Edward Spencer. The man listed on the sex offender website was working at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference where her children go to camp.

"My heart dropped and I felt sick," said Mahdi. "To see one of the people that you enlisted with the care of your children as a level three sex offender, it makes me sick."

Spencer is listed as the chief of staff on the camp's website. After discovering he was a convicted sex offender, Mahdi went to the sheriff's department and deputies immediately arrested him.

"It's just not safe anywhere," said Mahdi.

Lt. Tommy Tillman with the Chatham County Sheriff's Department is very familiar with sex offender cases, including Spencer's.

"Mr. Spencer is listed as a predator and the predator is the highest classification of sex offender we have in the State of Georgia. That means he should not be anywhere near children," said Tillman.

But he was near children, working at the SCLC's summer camp on Savannah's southside when Mahdi first saw him. "When I showed up there he was just walking around. My kids tell me that most of the time he was just there straightening up, cleaning up, he was just around," she said.

But authorities say Spencer shouldn't be around children at all.

When he was 13-years-old, he was convicted of child molestation. WTOC also learned Spencer was arrested three more times for probation violations and wound up serving eight years in prison.

In March of 2007, he was arrested again for child molestation and sexual exploitation of a child and spent another year in jail.

But the state released him again with what Tillman says are supposed to be strict limits.

"Matter of fact, on his probation, stipulations was he could not be within arm's reach of a child under 18," said Tillman. Not only was Spencer working at the summer camp, he sent WTOC an email last week asking us to cover a "lock in" at the camp, an overnight stay at the program for kids from five to 18-years-old.

Once deputies were alerted to his whereabouts, Spencer was arrested at the camp Wednesday afternoon.

We spoke to the SCLC Savannah chapter president Carl Gilliard and despite the chief of staff title, he says Spencer was just volunteering.

Gilliard says Spencer has been instrumental to the program and hasn't done anything wrong at the camp. But Gilliard says they are torn up about the situation.