by SEAN KIMMONS
The identity of a Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District board member was used to steal more than $17,500 out of the district’s government bank account this month, officials say.
On Nov. 4, a suspect impersonated one of the board members and transferred funds out of the Conservation District’s Wells Fargo account in Dripping Springs. Four days later, two other transfers were made by the same individual, said Rick Broun, the district’s general manager.
All of the stolen funds were successfully returned to the account on Nov. 12, Broun said.
The district’s board announced the fraud in last week’s regular monthly meeting in Wimberley.
“We have contacted the Hays County Sheriff’s Office,” Broun told a crowd at the public meeting. “It continues to be under investigation.”
The board also notified the Texas Attorney General’s Office of the fraud to their government account, Broun added.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Leroy Opiela said on Friday that no arrests had yet been made in the case. He did say, however, that the suspect used a board member’s name and social security number to gain access.
Officials say that board member David Baker’s identity was used in the fraud.
Hays Trinity Board President Jimmy Skipton said the stolen funds went into another Wells Fargo account, which the bank subsequently froze. The stolen money has been returned to the groundwater district, Skipton said.
The board will discuss in next month’s meeting whether to change banks, he said.
One of 98 groundwater conservation districts created under the Texas Constitution, the Hays Trinity district is instructed to conserve, preserve, recharge and prevent waste of groundwater within western Hays County.
