Cheerleading president arrested for stealing funds www.privateofficer.com

FOLEY Al. Dec. 13, 2007 — The president of the Foley Youth Cheerleading Association was booked Tuesday on charges that she stole thousands of dollars from the organization, according to investigators.
Brandy Virginia Flowers, 29, of Elberta, is charged with first-degree theft of property, illegal use of a credit card and illegal possession of a credit card, according to jail records. All of the charges are felonies, said Tony Fuqua, Foley police investigator.
Flowers had been president of the group for about four years. Association members told police that their review of the books indicated that since 2006, about $8,500 had come up missing from the group’s checking account, Fuqua said
They came to us when they noticed discrepancies in the account and discrepancies in what she told different people about the money,” Fuqua said. “They found a lot of discrepancies in the check ledgers.”
He said that Flowers confessed to taking about $4,000 but did not say why she had taken the money.
Police Chief David Wilson said investigators believe Flowers used the group’s ATM card and also forged the names of required co-signers on association checks to take money from the organization’s account.
The association is made up of about 60 girls, ages 9 to 14, who cheer at youth sporting events in the south Baldwin area, and their families, Fuqua said. He said that since discovering the loss of money, the organization has added additional safeguards to protect its funds.
Fuqua said the case will be presented to an upcoming grand jury and additional charges could be filed against Flowers. As of Tuesday, she was being held in the Baldwin County Corrections Center on $7,500 bail, according to jail records