Treasurer charged in theft of nearly $23K

From staff reports

An Emlenton man is facing charges after he allegedly took more than $20,000 from the Emlenton Area Medical Corp. during his time as the company’s treasurer.

A criminal complaint filed through District Judge Patrick Lowrey’s office said Franklin state police spoke on Wednesday with the board of directors of the Emlenton Area Medical Corp. regarding its treasurer, 38-year-old Charles Planker.

The corporation oversees a trust that manages a building at 516 Main St., Emlenton, which contains the Emlenton Fitness Center. The medical corporation oversees the fitness center, and it is the sole source of income for the corporation, the complaint said.

Planker was tasked with handling the trust account and received a monthly payment of $100 for the service, the complaint said.

He was questioned by the board of directors several times when he failed to provide them with a quarterly treasurer’s report. Planker eventually supplied a report in September, which was inadequate, the complaint said.

On Tuesday, the board of directors asked an associate to perform an audit out of increasing concerns regarding Planker, the complaint said.

The board advised Planker to supply the auditor with the accounting books, and he failed to do so, the complaint said.

On Wednesday, the medical corporation’s president and secretary traveled to Farmer’s National Bank in Emlenton and requested to review the trust account history. A review of the checking account provided evidence that Planker had been issuing unauthorized checks to himself from Oct. 1 to April 23, in the sum of $22,600, the complaint said.

Planker is facing a felony count of theft by unlawful taking.

He was arraigned before Lowrey and placed in the Venango County jail on $7,500 bail.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday in Central Court.