MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New allegations against a man accused of selling Southern Heritage Classic tickets he didn’t pay for at a Shelby County middle school.
Memphis Police Department is investigating Jason Smith for theft and may soon have more to add to their file.
The non-profit organization Watch D.O.G.S. contacted WREG saying Smith ordered $4,000 worth of merchandise from them while posing as a volunteer at Sherwood Middle School.
Watch D.O.G.S. sent WREG the fax they received with the first order. The order was for t-shirts, mouse pads, umbrellas and more. It totaled $3,200. Smith’s name was listed on the documents as well as Sherwood Middle’s cover letter and logo.
Watch D.O.G.S. President Eric Snow said they called the school.
“The lady who answered the phone indicated Jason wasn’t there. That she would have Jason return the call when he got back,” said Snow.
That same day, Snow said they got a call from Smith verifying the order.
“We sent the items. They showed up the next day they were signed by the school,” he said.
Sherwood Middle is one of several Shelby County Schools that launched the Watch D.O.G.S. program a couple years ago.
It’s a non-profit program that encourages fathers and father-figures to get involved at the school.
“We just assumed they were kicking off their program again and wanted some materials,” said Snow.
A few days later, Snow said Smith placed another order online.
“He used the individual school code that was assigned to Sherwood,” he said.
The second order totaled $625, and the documents from Watch D.O.G.S. show Smith’s name on it again.
Snow said they sent that merchandise and invoices.
“The next day after that, the principal called us and indicated he was concerned about Jason and knew Jason was a fraud in his words,” he said.
Snow said he called Smith.
“[Smith] said he was authorized, and he didn’t know what was going on and would straighten it out with the principal,” said Snow.
The non-profit claims they still haven’t been paid for that merchandise.
“Watch D.O.G.S. is not an organization he just created. He scammed us like he did so many others,” said Snow.
Meanwhile, Shelby County Schools’ spokesperson reiterated Smith shouldn’t have been at the school in the first place, staff didn’t follow proper protocol, and nothing Smith did was approved by the principal.
As for Smith, he still hasn’t agreed to an interview, but told WREG through text messages, “those invoices were given to the financial secretary with a net 3-day invoice. I had full authority to order, and all the material is still at Sherwood.”
Smith has filed lawsuits recently. One of those lawsuits is against Shelby County Schools.
Snow said he plans on filing something with Memphis police, but he has had trouble since he’s based out of Arkansas.
Smith also has a record across the Southeast, and is currently on parole in Kentucky for theft by deception.
