CANTON, Ill. – A man has been arrested by Canton Police for allegedly stealing money from the Friendship Festival Board.
65-year-old Craig West of Canton was charged with theft over $500 after his arrest Tuesday. He was released with a notice to appear in Fulton County Circuit Court on August 26th.
Canton Police says members of the festival board had reported the organization’s business checking account had several transactions that were not related to festival business, and were not approved by the board.
On Sunday, the festival board released a statement on Facebook addressing the incident. It acknowledged that communication regarding the matter “fell short of the standards the community expects and deserves.” But the board also noted that it is a criminal investigation.
The board stated that there was never any intention of hiding anything or covering anything up from the public or festival sponsors.
Some of the measures the board says it has taken to try and make sure a theft does not occur again includes the removal of the accused person from the board, appointing two new Co-Treasurers and three board members on the Festival’s bank account, appointing a new Secretary separate from the Treasurers to oversee all matters, and accounting for every dollar spent with receipts.
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