MASURY — A former Masury resident is facing charges in connection to an investigation with its roots in a Columbiana County club.

Charges of felony theft and tampering with records were filed in Trumbull County Eastern District Court Dec. 17 against Betty Jo Patterson, 65.

According to a report from the Brookfield Police Department obtained Monday, a detective met with a representative of the Columbiana County Kennel Club Oct. 30 about missing funds, telling the detective they found discrepancies in the club’s treasury report from Patterson and bank statements in October 2023.

The report states the treasury report showed the club had $100,000, but the bank statement only showed $9,000. The club removed Patterson as the club treasurer until they could figure out what had happened to the funds.

The report states club members requested bank statements from 2018 to 2023, finding 91 checks that Patterson made out to cash.

When Patterson was questioned about it, the report states she could not answer, jumping at the idea that she might have been scammed when the idea was suggested.

The club’s representative said she tried reporting the alleged theft through Columbiana law enforcement but was told that, because Patterson lived in Masury, she would have to report it through Brookfield. The detective offered to look into the case, noting that the crime didn’t necessarily happen in the township because Patterson was a resident.

The report states that of all the checks, which totaled $79,450, two were cashed at the Brookfield Farmers National Bank, putting an element of the alleged crime in the township.

The report states Patterson also had written a letter to the club, explaining that there were issues with the club’s checking account that she thought she could fix, but worsened the longer she waited.

Patterson also offered to pay $50 a month to pay back the missing funds and offered to have the rest taken out of her estate upon her death in her will, according to the report.

The club’s president told the detective that there should have only been a “couple of times” the checks should have been cashed, such as paying workers before shows — but only Patterson would have been a signer on the account.

A second report dated Dec. 12 showed that a subpoena was sent to Farmers National Bank for Patterson’s bank account statements.

A review of the statements by the detective revealed that whenever Patterson would cash a check from the club, a deposit into her personal account for nearly the same amount would happen days later, according to the report.

The detective attempted to reach Patterson via phone call, but received no answer.

The report states that, because the checks were cashed and the money was used for non-business matters, Patterson was to be charged with theft, a fourth-degree felony because of the amount stolen.

The second charge, tampering with records, was filed because Patterson allegedly falsified the treasurer’s report presented at the club’s meetings to show no money was missing. It also was a fourth-degree felony for the same reason.