FISHERS, IN -- A former high school swim coach has been charged with stealing nearly $17,000 from an Indiana Y over the course of four years, according to several media outlets.
The Fishers Y, a branch of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, had been renting the Fishers High School swimming pool since 2006. The Y made the rental agreement with Ken Stopkotte, the high school’s former aquatics director.
According to a court affidavit, Stopkotte charged the Y from $500 to $1,000 a month to rent the pool. The money was deposited into several bank accounts for Stopkotte’s swim club, the Fishers Area Swimming Tigers. However, the Hamilton Southeastern School District did not receive any of the funds. In a press statement, the school district said that Stopkotte was not authorized to make the rental arrangement and was not even aware that the Y was using the facilities.
Stopkotte’s attorney denies Stopkotte stole or misappropriated the money, saying Stopkotte was only one of three school officials with access to the accounts.
He was arrested last week in Tennessee, where he moved in August upon his resignation from the school after admitting he had falsified swimmers’ times for several competitions. He will be extradited to Indiana to stand trial on eight counts of grand theft.