Crown drops charges against former Foundation for Education executive director
All charges against the former executive director of the Foundation for Education Perth Huron were dropped earlier this week at the request of the Crown.
Laura Pethick, a Stratford resident, had been charged with one count of fraud with a value of more than $5,000, one count of forged document use and one count of mischief to data.
Pethick, who was hired by the charity in July 2021, was dismissed without cause in March, but chair Colleen Schenk said “irregularities were later discovered leading to an investigation and the subsequent charges.”
Pethick was alleged to have defrauded the foundation of more than $5,000. This was alleged to have occurred some time between Nov. 1, 2022, and March 27, 2024. According to the charges, Pethick also “knowingly used a forged document” – a Caring Fund Application form – “as if it was genuine” some time between those same dates.
Police alleged that Pethick had purchased more than $11,000 worth of gift cards through the use of fraudulent cheques.
Pethick was also accused of reformatting and changing the account password of a laptop belonging to the foundation some time between March 7 and May 1 of this year.
Pethick made an extremely brief appearance in Stratford court on Monday, where her lawyer, Andrew Porter, confirmed she had made a “voluntary without prejudice payment,” owing to the financial burden of defending the matter further.
In a statement provided by her lawyer, Pethick stated she is “is grateful that all charges against her have been withdrawn and this proceeding has come to an end.”
“The allegations by the Foundation's Board representatives were horribly mistaken; the damage caused to Ms. Pethick's reputation (was) both unwarranted and irreparable.
“Ms. Pethick is proud of her work on behalf of the Foundation, despite the ill-informed allegations by her former employer. She looks forward to finding new and meaningful opportunities to work for the benefit of the Stratford/huron community,” the statement said.
While Schenk confirmed in an email earlier this week that restitution will be coming to the foundation, she declined to comment on the statement from Pethick's lawyer.
Founded in 1989, the Seaforth-based Foundation for Education Perth Huron states that it “offers education in excess of the levels prescribed by the Ministry of Education.”
The allegations by the Foundation's Board representatives were horribly mistaken; the damage caused to Ms. Pethick's reputation (was) both unwarranted and irreparable.”