Welcome to Arrest Stories. A former children's advocacy center director in Sequatchie County faces serious charges after allegedly stealing over sixty thousand dollars from the organization meant to protect vulnerable children. Here's what may have happened.
Forty-four-year-old Kelli Renee Craig, who served as director of the Twelfth Judicial District's Children's Advocacy Center in Dunlap since its inception, now finds herself behind bars on a seventy-five-thousand-dollar bond. The indictment alleges Craig systematically used the organization's company credit card for personal purchases, totaling more than sixty thousand dollars over a five-year period.
According to official reports, Craig had complete control over the goods and property of the Children's Advocacy Center. Between two thousand nineteen and two thousand twenty-four, she allegedly exploited her position by accessing the center's bank accounts and bank cards for personal gain rather than supporting the facility's mission of helping children.
The timeline reveals a methodical investigation. In September of two thousand twenty-four, a grand jury issued an indictment against Craig. Earlier that year, law enforcement had already conducted investigative actions involving the advocacy center in connection with this matter. Officials confirmed that measures were scheduled for board adoption on October twenty-third.
The situation reached its conclusion on December seventeenth, two thousand twenty-four, when Craig and the center officially parted ways. As one official stated, "She had been the director of the Twelfth Children's Advocacy Center since its inception," but now "There is a new permanent director."
The Children's Advocacy Center board of directors has launched a comprehensive review of all accounts to assess the full scope of the alleged financial misconduct. This case strikes particularly hard given the center's mission to protect and advocate for children who have experienced abuse or trauma.
Craig no longer works for the advocacy center, leaving behind an organization now working to rebuild trust and continue its vital community work.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.