(Cass Co) A Secretary/Treasurer for the Cass County Chapter of Pheasants Forever is accused of using Pheasants Forever funds for personal use.
According to court records, 44-year-old Rebecca Dreager has been charged with Theft 1st Degree for misappropriating Pheasants Forever funds exceeding $10,000.
The complaint and affidavit says between the approximate dates of February 26, 2021 and June 3, 2022, Rebecca Dreager was acting as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Cass County Chapter of Pheasants Forever based in Atlantic. Pheasants Forever representatives reported that during that time, a large number of transactions were made that were not made at normal times of spending and were not consistent with the amounts normally spent. Rebecca had not turned in receipts for the transactions to support the purchases. Representative reported that they had made many attempts to gather information from Rebecca, and they provided law enforcement with a copy of a letter that was sent to Rebecca requesting receipts and additional information, to which they indicated she did not respond.
It was found that the transactions were all paid for by checks written on the Pheasants Forever account, and they were to four different entities. Receipts for the transactions were acquired, and it was found that most of the transactions were for what appeared to be groceries, clothing, household goods, and a large number of gift cards. Pheasants Forever representatives examined the receipts and determined that most of the purchases were not for the local Chapter. They identified receipts that were consistent with items that would be used for their events and that were in the time frame in which those events took place. They indicated that the rest of the receipts were not in support of the Chapter.
An interview was conducted with Rebecca. She identified transactions that she claimed were for items related to Pheasants Forever, but she acknowledged that a large number of transactions were for personal items and not for the Chapter. Rebecca made comments that things just got out of hand, she though that she could get it paid back and didn’t realize how much she had spent.
The total amount of the purchases made for personal use was approximately $18,284.85.
Rebecca is being held in the Cass County Jail. Jail records indicate she was booked in Sunday morning.
