Nearly $15,000 stolen from high school fishing team fan club

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The former treasurer of the Upperman High School fishing team’s fan club has been charged with stealing money from the club’s account, the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office said.

Rosemary Downs, 45, is accused of embezzling at least $14,806.82 in funds from November 2022 to March 2024, according to investigators with the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

Allegations of theft were reported to the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office in April, and the attorney general’s office asked the State Audit Office to investigate the allegations.

Their investigation revealed that Downs had stolen the money in four different ways:

• Withdrawn $11,215 in cash with 15 check slips from a bank
• $798 in cash withdrawn from an ATM using the club’s debit card
• $2,393.82 in eight unauthorized checks made out to Downs’ husband with his name signed on the back without his knowledge
• $400 Carnival Cruise transaction using the Club debit card

The auditor’s office also stated that Downs made personal deposits totaling $6,025 to the club, which they said were used to reimburse the club. The Putnam County grand jury returned an indictment on Monday, July 1, charging Downs with one count of theft over $10,000 and one count of forgery.

According to prosecutors, Downs was removed from her position by the school administration immediately after the investigation began.

Upperman High School is located in Baxter, Tennessee.

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