Crime & Safety
Wheeler Band Booster Charged With Theft
Dawn Martin, who was in charge of Bingo-related fundraising, is accused of stealing more than $40,000.
For the second time in three years, an officer in a Wheeler High School booster club has been charged with stealing substantial amounts of money from a student extracurricular organization.
The Marietta Daily Journal reported Saturday that Dawn Brown Martin, vice president of Bingo activities for the Wheeler Wildcat Pride marching band, is accused of taking more than $40,000 in band funds from January to October of 2012.
Martin, 50, remained in the Cobb County Adult Detention Center Saturday evening on a $55,220 bond, charged with a single felony count of theft by taking.
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The MDJ report said that Martin is alleged to have taken proceeds from band fundraisers, including those at the VFW Post 2681 location on Powers Ferry Road in East Cobb, and deposited the money in her personal accounts.
According to the band website, "Bingo at the VFW is currently one of the Wildcat Pride’s biggest fundraisers. The money it raises helps reduce the cost of every member’s fees."
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In 2010, Patti Hicks Rose, the treasurer of the Wheeler cheerleaders, was charged with theft by conversion involving more than $27,000, equal to the group's annual operating costs.
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