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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 12, 2005 Local woman arrested for embezzlement By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune A Central Point woman who previously served as a Rogue Valley Soccer Club official has been arrested on suspicion of embezzling more than $8,000 from the organization, police said. Tracy Lei Kidwell, 41, of the 700 block of Chestnut Avenue, was lodged Friday in the Jackson County Jail on 12 felony counts of first-degree theft. She was being held late Friday on $60,000 bail, a jail spokeswoman said. Kidwell became the subject of a Medford police investigation last year, when officials from the Mutual of Enumclaw insurance company reported money missing from their accounts, police Sgt. Brett Johnson said. Besides the money allegedly taken from the soccer club, police believe Kidwell embezzled about $14,000 from the insurance company where she was employed, Johnson said. Advertisement The soccer club thefts apparently happened in 2002, when Kidwell served as the organization’s equipment manager, police said. "There is always a threat when somebody has access to funds like that," Johnson said. The investigation is the latest in a string of embezzlement probes involving Jackson County youth-sports organizations. Last November, Sandra Bleth, 42, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor theft charge and was ordered to pay $1,657 in restitution to the Central Point Amateur Athletic Union basketball league, after more than $6,000 was discovered missing. Bleth was treasurer of the organization when the thefts occurred. A May trial in Jackson County Circuit Court has been scheduled in a case involving Toni Crippen, 50, who is accused of taking about $6,000 from a District 6 Little League bank account and placing it in her personal account while she served as the district’s treasurer. District 6 includes teams from Medford, Ashland, Phoenix, Talent and Eagle Point. Police were not called to investigate a case involving Central Point Little League in which two elected league officials last summer allegedly stole more than $1,000. The money was eventually paid back, league officials said. Last November, in a Mail Tribune article highlighting the string of suspected embezzlements, Rogue Valley Soccer Club officials said the organization had been theft-free for 30 years because of a relatively sophisticated internal-control system. Club President Mike Dunn did not immediately return a telephone call Friday seeking comment on the alleged thefts by Kidwell. Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s