APALACHICOLA — The secretary of Apalachicola’s Dixie Youth Baseball League has been arrested in connection with several thousands of dollars being taken from the league’s banking account, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.
Chala Parish, league secretary, turned herself in on charges of grand theft after a warrant was issued for her arrest Tuesday.
According to a FCSO news release, Parish allegedly used the league’s Centennial Bank debit card and spent more than $3,000 on payments to the city of Apalachicola for water and sewer, Duke Energy and the Franklin County Health Department. Money also was spent at stores, including Ross, Dillard’s, and Office Max, officers said.
The baseball league was tipped off by the purchases showing up during the months of July through December, a time when the account should have be dormant due to baseball season ending.
The login and passwords to access the online banking account also had been changed in August to prevent other board members from viewing the monthly bank statements, according to the news release.
Parish allegedly began making deposits back into the account beginning in October from the Kelley Funeral Home account writing the word “sponsor” on the checking slip. At one point in November when the Centennial bank account was overdrawn, Parish allegedly took $600 from another Dixie Youth League account at Cadence Bank and deposited it into the league checking account at Centennial Bank, officers said.
FCSO issued a warrant Tuesday for Parish before she turned herself in to the Liberty County Jail. Parish was charged with grand theft third degree. She was released on her own recognizance.