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Highlands Today

Sources: Sebring Chamber Investigation Concluding

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By GARY PINNELL

Highlands Today

Published: November 10, 2008

SEBRING - Chamber board members have met with state attorney's office investigators, who said the criminal probe into the Greater Sebring Chamber of Commerce's finances will conclude soon.

Two chamber sources, who did not want to be identified for the record, said they received an e-mail Oct. 7 from chamber board chairman Susan Jones.

"It said that the state attorney was wrapping up the investigation, and that her impression of what the investigator said was that we will be vindicated in our decision to fire Mr. Andrews," the first source said.

On April 22, the chamber executive board fired its president, Dan Andrews, 33, after it was discovered he had mismanaged the finances of the organization. He wrote a check for more than $9,000 to repay the chamber for items he had purchased on the corporate credit card.

But board members also discovered about $90,000 in scholarship funds had been moved to an operational fund and spent, and that $29,000 in grant money wasn't paid to contractor Mark Stewart for remodeling the chamber's downtown welcome center. More money remained missing, unaccounted for or misspent. Chamber directors didn't know what happened to it, which is why the state attorney was asked to investigate.

"We're broke," said one chamber director at the time.

"We have a serious cash flow problem," another director said.

Although the state attorney's office said in April it does not perform civil audits, meaning all investigations are criminal matters, the first chamber source emphasized that he "had no reason to believe there was criminal wrongdoing on Andrews' part."

"The investigation is nearing conclusion," a second chamber source confirmed. The investigator, Jeanette Dugas, met three weeks ago with the board's chairman-elect David Noel, current chairman Susan Jones and treasurer Kim Hines.

Attempts to contact three official sources were unsuccessful. Chip Thulberry, a spokesman with state attorney for the 10th circuit, would only say that the investigation continues.

Noel did not return two phone messages recently.

Susan Jones, the current chairman, did call back when contacted recenty, but claimed she had no news to report.

"We have not heard anything back from the state's attorney's office," Jones said in a voice mail message. "I have no new information."

Gary Pinnell can be reached at gpinnell@highlandstoday.com or 863 386-5828

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