Hunter
07/03/20
A Lone Tree man has been taken into custody after being accused of diverting funds from a wrestling club for his personal use.
In the complaint, police say 39-year-old Chad Bell of 245th Street was named treasurer of the Lone Tree Little Lions Wrestling Club in 2016, and named club president in January 2017. At that time, he also reportedly assumed control of the club bank account and was listed as the only person on the account.
Authorities say from that point until August 2019, Bell withdrew and spent money from the club account for personal use until the account was nearly empty. Records indicate that on August 14th of that year, Bell cashed in Wrestling Club CDs in excess of $8000, deposited them into the club account, and continued spending the club money for his personal use.
Investigators have alleged that Bell used the money to pay for restaurants, online shopping, recreation, payment for his personal tax preparation, and a towing bill. They estimate the alleged loss at the hands of Bell at approximately $19,000.
A warrant was issued for Bell’s arrest, and he was booked into the Johnson County Jail at 7:26pm Thursday. He’s been charged with Theft in the 1st degree, a Class C felony punishable by a prison term of up to ten years if convicted.