GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Germantown Police say a local Boy Scout leader has been arrested for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from his troop.
According to reports obtained by WREG, treasurer David Cline was charged with theft of property worth more than $60,000 for stealing $95,309.24 from Boy Scouts of America Troop 368.
The troop is sponsored by Farmington Presbyterian Church.
The Boy Scouts of America released the following statement to WREG:
“The Chickasaw Council, Boy Scouts of America is aware of this investigation and we are cooperating fully with the authorities. We are saddened that an individual would take advantage of our Scouting family in this way. These actions do not represent our employees, volunteers and parents who work tirelessly to accomplish our mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes.
“Upon learning of these allegations several months ago, the council launched a review of the situation and ultimately decided to remove this individual from his position and preclude him from future participation in our programs. The council has guidelines and training that addresses this type of issue and we will work with troop leadership on safeguards that will help prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.”
The criminal acts reportedly began back in 2011.
Acting as the troop’s treasurer, Cline was the only one with access to the First Tennessee Bank account for the group, and had control over paper checks and a bank card that was assigned to the account.
Other troop leaders suspected foul play when a check written for a troop trip bounced in June 2015. When confronted about the issue, Cline reportedly made conflicting statements as to why the money was not in the account, the affidavit stated.
He claimed it was an accounting error made by the Boy Scouts.
According to the affidavit, troop leaders employed a certified fraud examiner. The examiner determined Cline had made 314 withdrawals from the account for personal reasons. In all, he stole $95,309 from the troop, the document stated.
Cline later confessed to $10,000 worth of thefts; he said he had to pay for personal expenses after declaring bankruptcy.
Police said Boy Scout officials didn’t contact them until November.
The Boy Scouts of America told WREG they would work with their leaders to make sure an incident like this never happens again.
“As good stewards of Scouting, we will always strive to deliver our programs in the most effective and efficient manner possible and prioritize what is in the best interest of our youth members. The council has guidelines and training that address this type of issue and we will work with troop leadership on safeguards that will help prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.”
WREG also contacted the pastor of Farmington Presbyterian Church but no one returned the calls.
WREG also asked scout officials why they waited until November of 2016 to report the theft. Boy Scouts of America referred WREG to local troop officials. Those troop officials did not respond to questions Tuesday night.
A former troop member has also started a Go Fund Me page for the troop: https://www.gofundme.com/troop-368-recovery-fund.