NORTH FORT MYERS
The former board president of the North Fort Myers Babe Ruth League was arrested Wednesday after deputies say she stole more than $9,000 in association funds.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, 52-year-old Laurie Sturrup was arrested after deputies received a complaint of grand theft at 2050 North Recreation Parkway in North Fort Myers. A woman who identified herself as the current secretary of the North Fort Myers Babe Ruth League, a volunteer-run nonprofit baseball organization for kids between 4 and 15, gave a sworn written statement documenting the theft of association funds by Sturrup.
The secretary said that from August 2022 until January 2023, Sturrup withdrew in excess of $9,000 from the association account through ATM withdrawals, direct payments, and an individual Zelle payment. As president of the association, Sturrup had been issued a debit card for the business account, as was the vice president and treasurer. The secretary said the board has tried to obtain either the funds or receipts documenting payments for baseball association activities.
On Dec. 23, Sturrup returned $6,245 in cash to the board, leaving an outstanding balance of $4,350. On Jan. 19, the association board met and removed Sturrup from her position as president. It also drafted a certified letter to Sturrup informing her of the decision and demanding that the funds or receipts for the funds be provided to the board no later than Feb. 4.
The secretary told deputies that the board received no communication from Sturrup and no funds or receipts. LCSO received copies of text messages and Facebook messages between Sturrup and the board concerning payments and association business, as well as Wells Fargo bank records documenting the transactions made on the business account from June 2022 to February 2023.
Sturrup faces a charge of grand theft (between $5,000 and $10,000).
WINK NEWS