A chance discovery by an employee of the Sangamon
County Child Advocacy Center has sparked an investigation into possible
misappropriation of funds at the agency charged with helping sexually
abused minors. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department seized the
agency’s financial records last month, and Jonna Cooley, executive
director, was placed on paid leave Oct. 3. “There’s an investigation,” Sheriff
Neil Williamson says. “We’re working closely with the
state’s attorney’s office, and that’s all I can say at
this point.”
The inquiry began sometime last month when an
employee stumbled across a requisition form seeking reimbursement for five
CAC team members’ trip to Huntsville, Ala., for the annual national
symposium on child sexual abuse, which was held in March. No one from CAC
attended the symposium. That discovery prompted a review of financial
records, which revealed a pattern of questionable expenditures. Child Advocacy Center is a county division funded by
a small percentage of property taxes along with a variety of governmental
grants. A state law enacted in 1989 mandated that each county create an
agency to coordinate the handling of child sexual-abuse cases, from
investigation to prosecution and treatment. CAC requisitions are routinely approved by the
finance committee of the Sangamon County Board. But apparently, no one
noticed anything amiss until the CAC staffer happened to see the phony
expense request. Christine Lindsey, formerly assistant director and
now interim director of CAC, says she hopes the probe will not affect the
public’s perception of her agency. “Our mission is still strong and still solid
and we’re still here providing services for children who are victims
of really serious crimes, and we rely on the community to support
that,” Lindsey says. “We were all caught off guard by the fluke
of this discovery. The staff has been devastated by it. But we believe in
our jobs, and we believe in what we do.”
Cooley could not be reached for comment. Her
attorney, Michael Metnick, was out of town and unable to return a call
seeking comment. Cooley has been director of the CAC since 1995, when
she replaced Betsy Goulet, who founded the agency. Besides her job at CAC,
Cooley is also an adjunct faculty member at Lincoln Land Community College
and at UIS.
This article appears in Oct 13-19, 2005.
