Stemming from embezzlement and false checks dating back to at least 2007, music parent association member Rice Jacobs was arrested for felony theft for stealing at least $121,000 from the music department.
“It’s crushing,” band director Doug Hoover said. “It’s professionally crushing, it’s emotionally disappointing. This is a gentleman we have known and trusted for a number of years.”
Jacobs, who has confessed to the crime, wrote checks to himself from the account over a period of years. The school and music department first heard irregular activity from the account after two checks bounced during the summer of 2014, according to Hoover.
“When questioned about it, the treasurer had a very plausible explanation, reissued the checks, and then there didn’t seem to be a problem,” Hoover said. “When you look back, that was more significant than we thought because his explanation was deceptive.”
Parkway’s Chief Financial Officer Patty Bedborough was tasked with finding the material amount taken after the conclusion that Jacobs stole money had been made.
“Hoover had originally obtained one year’s worth of bank statements and checks from the account, so I went through the statements and checks cleared and identified those written out to [Jacobs],” Bedborough said.
Bedborough was able to accumulate bank information dated back to 2007. These records cited $121,000 taken from the account by Jacobs in the form of checks written to himself.
The treasurer of the parent-run organization for 11 years, Jacobs first took over the position in the fall of 2003. He was the sixth treasurer of Hoover’s tenure as band director.
“What initially seemed like a lot of money has turned out to be an overwhelming amount of money over a long period of time,” Hoover said. “You immediately think back to all the work parents have done in concession stands and kids have paid into. The whole time, much of the reports were a sham.”
Prior to the initial checks bouncing in the summer of 2014, the most recent statements indicated the account had around $40,000, according to Bedborough.
“The final straw was when companies and individuals you’ve worked with report back that the checks have bounced,” Hoover said. “By that point, those returned checks confirmed some suspicions and questionable things that had gone on in weeks leading up to it.”
A former school board member and Pillar of Parkway awardee, Jacobs was well-respected in the community.
“It’s not like he put on a ski mask and came through the door,” assistant band director Matt Beazley said.
Hoover cites old style financial structures as the faulty leak that prevented the detection of the missing money.
“When he took over, the systems in place were old style, lots of trust,” Hoover said. “We made a mistake of really trusting someone and not having any structural protections in place.”
Samantha Jacobs, daughter of Rice Jacobs, 2005 Central grad and 2011 Central student teacher, has been forced to reevaluate much after coming to terms with the situation.
“When something happens like felony or theft, especially in West County, there’s no set program for how to cope with it,” Samantha Jacobs, daughter of Rice Jacobs, said. “People look at it as this criminal and horrible thing, but for us it’s entirely different.”
Despite her family’s criminal activity, Samantha Jacobs wanted to stress the idea this action doesn’t define her father.
“My dad’s a really awesome person, and he made a big mistake,” Samantha Jacobs said. “Making a mistake and being punished for it, that should happen. He’s definitely broken the law. But it’s just not fair to exclusively judge someone on the worst day of their life.”
Jacobs became involved in the organization in 2003 due to his son, Michael Jacobs, involvement in the marching band.
“You just have to reprogram the way you think life is going to go,” Samantha Jacobs said. “Nothing’s going to be the same. You have to set new expectations. ”
A long with Jacobs and his family, members of the music department have determined their own ideas regarding the situation.
“It just kind of pissed me off,” senior tuba and bass clarinet player Fadi Shalabi said. “I’ve been in band since sixth grade, so someone pulling that kind of stuff…it just pissed me off.”
For others, the news of the robbery connected more than a few dots.
“I thought the band program was fine,” senior trumpet player Jacob Parmley said. “After I realized it, it made sense. We’ve always been tight on money in the past few years.”
Samantha Jacobs went on to cite the work of her parents in the Central community.
“I don’t think anybody would deny they’re wonderful people that positively affected Parkway Central,” Samantha Jacobs said. “It just sucks that it’s Parkway Central because we are so connected to that school and I would hate to think that situation has ruined our bond.”
Until a verdict is reached in trial, no money can be returned to the account yet Parkway has pledged its aid to the program.
“We did not want any plans changed because of this, so we set up activity accounts to handle their deposits and also an activity account to handle their expenditures,” Bedborough said. “The first ones we took care of were the bounced checks. We didn’t want disruption from any of the activities for the kids.”
As for what money will be returned to the account, Hoover remains hopeful.
“It’s not very realistic to think we will recover a large amount of it in one fell swoop,” Hoover said. “I’m optimistic that a significant amount of money will be recovered.”
