Brandon Twp.-On Jan. 5, Lori A. Ruhle was arrested and charged in Oakland County District Court with embezzling funds from Belle Ann Parent Organization (BAPO).
Ruhle served as BAPO treasurer from 2002-2003. She is accused of misappropriation of $2,688 in funds collected by the organization. A part-time Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School employee, Ruhle is currently, on personal leave.
If convicted of the felony charge, she could face a maximum of five years in prison and/or several thousands in fines. She was released later in the day on $5,000 personal bond and will appear Feb. 2 in District Court 52nd-2nd in Oakland County for a preliminary examination before Judge Dana Fortinberry.
In December 2003 a warrant was issued for Ruhle, following a five-month investigation after members of BAPO, a private parent-teacher fund-raising group based at Belle Anne Elementary in the Brandon School District reported discrepancies in bookkeeping records.
‘The current BAPO Board was very helpful in the investigation,? said Arnie Terrell, Oakland County Sheriff’s department detective and Brandon School District liaison officer.
‘Contrary to some beliefs this is not a witch hunt by the current BAPO staff.?
The rather lengthy investigation was complicated by the variety of fund-rasing sources used by BAPO, Terrell said, including Little Caesars and Market Day. BAPO receives several thousand dollars in revenue each year for school functions including field trips, teachers? considerations and assemblies.
‘It’s not a matter of just bad accounting,? said Terrell.
The charges stem from falsification of receipts and missing cash following fund-raising activities. Cash was recorded on BAPO receipts, but bank deposits did not reflect the same amount of cash, says Terrell.
Since June, Ruhle was the prime suspect when records were reported missing from Belle Ann Elementary school where BAPO officers stored receipts, bank statements and other documents.
During the months of August and September 2003, meetings between BAPO representatives, Brandon Schools Superintendent Bart Jenniches and Executive Finance Director Gary Kelly were held to discuss the alleged discrepancies.
To rectify the missing financial information, the Brandon School District obtained copies of approximately 70 cancelled BAPO checks from the Oxford Bank which spanned the 2002-2003 school year.
Following an audit by Kelly, 10 of the 70 BAPO checks were questioned the checks were written to Ruhle who also signed the checks. Of those, six checks were explainable as self-reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. Four checks totaling $376 remained in question.
In early September, based on the recommendations of the Brandon School District’s attorney, the audit information was then turned over to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department for investigation, said Jenniches. Sgt. Tim McIsaac of the Brandon substation reassigned the investigation to Terrell.
In mid-September, BAPO members further investigated the 2002-2003 treasurer’s reports and bank statements. An additional $4,000 in discrepancies were subsequently turned over to the Oakland County Sheriff Department. Further scrutiny of additional records showed a lesser amount.
As a result of the probe, a polygraph for the former treasurer was scheduled for Oct. 23, however, she did not show up for the examination.
Since the investigation, BAPO officals have implemented new accounting guidelines including dual signatures on checks by two non-board members, audit of accounting books each year, and approval of a monthly treasurer’s report.
‘We are very pleased with the investigation by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department,? said Jenniches. ‘Issues like this take time and (the Sheriffs’s Department) spent the appropriate time to do a thorough job.?
Jenniches added that no decision on Ruhle’s employment with the district will be made until after a court decision is made.