ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A former treasurer is accused of stealing thousands of dollars meant to be used for a school band trip.
Amy Mitchell's daughter has a love for music and for months, she and 130 other kids have been practicing for a big competition where their booster band would take center stage in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Just as the group was about to pay for the trip last month, it noticed that the money in its account was gone.
"Total shock and sadness,” Anissa Inn, president of the West Rowan Middle School Band Boosters, said. “A lot of sadness.”
Parent and former band treasurer Chantel Racquelle is accused of taking the money.
Rowan County investigators said that over a span of six months, she stole $14,0000 in the forms of cash and ATM withdrawals.
She is also accused of using the band's debit card to make purchases at retail stores and restaurants like Hendrix BBQ.
“Our main goal has been to protect these kids at all costs,” Mitchell,the vice president of the booster club, said. “Any of the kids that are in the band. They did not do this. It’s not fair for them to be punished by a decision an adult decided to do.”
A sign outside the school asks people to donate to the band. They need about $16,000 in order to play at the competition in April.
[GoFundMe: West Rowan Middle School Band Donations]
The group is organizing fundraisers and Worldstrides, the company hosting the competition, will match 2-to-1 the amount raised through a GoFundMe account.
“It saddens... our heart when things like this happen,” Worldstrides CEO Jim Hall said. “To be able to help out in a small way, really helps us live our mission.”
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