A Valparaiso woman has been charged with felony counts of theft and forgery after stealing more than $270,000 from a Portage girls softball league because of a gambling problem, according to charging documents.
Kimberley A. Schmick, 53, reportedly stole the funds, which included money in two bank accounts, cash and the misuse of a Menards credit card, from Portage Junior Miss Softball Inc. between Aug. 10, 2021, and April 14, when she was relieved of her duties as board treasurer for the softball league, according to the charges.
She is charged with theft, a Level 5 felony, and forgery, a Level 6 felony.
Schmick, according to court documents, told police that she loved the kids in the league and she “did wrong” even though she did not believe she took the amount claimed by the league.
Schmick said she wanted to “do right” and “make this right” but was not admitting guilt, charges state. “Schmick said that since this incident she has been in counseling for gambling. Schmick explained that she had a bad gambling problem. Schmick advised that the guilt has been killing her.”
Board members contacted Portage Police on April 22, alleging that Schmick had been stealing money and forging checks from the softball league for approximately three years, according to the charges. Jennifer McRobert, the board president, got a detailed bank statement for one of the league’s accounts and discovered Schmick cashed several checks without proper authorization and had forged McRobert’s signature on all the checks.
McRobert told police that suspicions about the league’s finances arose in the early spring of 2024 because a couple of bills had come back as “past due.”
“When they looked at the bank accounts, they found huge discrepancies from what they should have had in them,” charges state.
McRobert told police that Schmick had access to the main league account at Centier Bank and a gaming account at First Source Bank, but no access to a concessions account.
“The checks that (McRobert) claimed were fraudulent and forged by Schmick appear very consistent with each other and very different from the ones (McRobert) advised that she actually signed herself. According to (McRobert), she has only authorized Schmick to sign her name on a check one time,” charges state.
Additionally, according to the charges, several checks written for cash were marked on the memo line as paying for umpire and other fees but those were taken out of the concessions account that Schmick did not have access to, meaning the checks were fraudulent. There also was “a large amount of unaccounted for and not deposited cash collected,” which would have been from entry fees, donations, fundraisers and the like.
Board members also told police that Schmick had access to a business credit card for Menards home improvement store, which she used for several personal purchases, according to the charges.
Portage Police estimate that Schmick allegedly stole $177,318.41 from the account at Centier; approximately $7,700 from the First Source account; around $76,919 in cash; and about $8,601.32 on the Menards credit card.
“We acknowledge the concerns surrounding recent events and want to assure our community that we have taken the necessary steps to address the situation appropriately,” McRobert said in an email to the Post-Tribune. “This matter was turned over to the proper authorities in April 2024, and as a volunteer board, we have implemented the necessary changes to ensure the safety and well-being of our valued players, parents, and families.
“Moving forward, we remain committed to fostering a positive and secure environment and look forward to the continued growth of our program. Due to the ongoing nature of legal proceedings, we will not be providing further details at this time,” McRobert said in the email.
Schmick was not in custody as of Wednesday afternoon; bond has been set at $3,000 cash, according to online court records. Schmick’s case has been assigned to Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer. Charges were filed Monday.
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