Laurie Sturrup, former board president of North Fort Myers Babe Ruth League, accused of stealing over $9K

The former board president of the North Fort Myers Babe Ruth League was arrested Wednesday after deputies say she stole more than $9,000 in association funds.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, 52-year-old Laurie Sturrup was arrested after deputies received a complaint of grand theft at 2050 North Recreation Parkway in North Fort Myers.

A woman who identified herself as the current secretary of the North Fort Myers Babe Ruth League, a volunteer-run nonprofit baseball organization for kids between 4 and 15, gave a sworn written statement documenting the theft of association funds by Sturrup.

The secretary said that from August 2022 until January 2023, Sturrup withdrew in excess of $9,000 from the association account through ATM withdrawals, direct payments, and an individual Zelle payment.

As president of the association, Sturrup had been issued a debit card for the business account, as was the vice president and treasurer. The secretary said the board has tried to obtain either the funds or receipts documenting payments for baseball association activities.

On Dec. 23, Sturrup returned $6,245 in cash to the board, leaving an outstanding balance of $4,350. On Jan. 19, the association board met and removed Sturrup from her position as president.

It also drafted a certified letter to Sturrup informing her of the decision and demanding that the funds or receipts for the funds be provided to the board no later than Feb. 4.

The secretary told deputies that the board received no communication from Sturrup or funds or receipts. LCSO received copies of text messages and Facebook messages between Sturrup and the board concerning payments and association business, as well as Wells Fargo bank records documenting the transactions made on the business account from June 2022 to February 2023.

“Really, to me, is a circumstance that demonstrates why we children need parents involved and should be involved in all aspects of our lives, especially in volunteering and youth sports,” said Chuck Phoenix, District 15 commissioner for Florida Babe Ruth Baseball.

Phoenix said that missing money was supposed to help kids get on the field. “Including insurance for accidents and things like that. Uniforms, obviously, can be very expensive. Equipment, baseballs, umpire, fees, things like that. “

He believes the theft will not force kids to give up the game. He said the best defense against crimes like this is more parental involvement.

“The more people you have involved in anything, the less likely there’s going to be problems. Number one, there’s a lot more people performing the tasks. And then also, they’re watching each other perform these tasks,” Phoenix said.

WINK News was told that Sturrup returned more than $6,000 of the missing money. She is charged with grand theft.

Due to Sturrup being the board president, she was issued a debit card for the Babe Ruth business account. Detectives say she used that card to take the league’s money illegally.