The Youth Rodeo Association's former president was indicted in Brazos County on Thursday on charges of stealing more than $80,000 from the nonprofit organization that promotes rodeo for young Texans.
Donald Helton, a 60-year-old Bryan resident, faces one charge each of theft and misapplication of fiduciary property. Both crimes are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Court documents state that rodeo officials began receiving phone calls in July from vendors who had not received payments for services provided for the Youth Rodeo Association's June finals. Helton was president of the organization at that time, and his wife was treasurer.
The vendors told the association's vice president, Bill Byler, that Helton said he sent them checks or had the vendors' wrong addresses, documents said. Byler told authorities that he doubted that explanation, however, because the association had long relationships with its vendors.
Byler told investigators that he contacted Citizens State Bank in Caldwell and learned that Helton had taken a $40,116 loan out on behalf of the Youth Rodeo Association using falsified copies of minutes from the association's board meetings as authorization, documents state.
When confronted by Byler, Helton admitted to taking the money without permission to offset a "personal financial collapse" in 2008, according to documents.
"I began borrowing money from the YRA," he wrote Byler in an e-mail, according to court documents. "Over the next several months, I had borrowed $50,000. Again, I am truly sorry for the mistake."
Helton was removed from the organization's board of directors in August.
Further investigation by board members indicated that $82,000 was missing from the organization.
Bank records showed that Helton received 32 checks between April 2005 and July 2009. The checks were paid to four companies that he owns -- Helton Consulting, Bellwether Concepts, Mudville Environmental and Helton Ventures.
The Youth Rodeo Association hosts about a dozen rodeos across the state each year. Contestants range from pewee groups under
8 years of age to senior groups between 16 and 19. Child contestants pay dues and sell raffle tickets to fund the events, and they are awarded prize money, saddles, belt buckles and scholarships for competing.
The association's Web site states that Byler has taken over as president of the organization. Reached by phone on Thursday, he declined to comment.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Rather, it is a declaration by a grand jury that enough evidence exists to proceed with a trial.
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