A Stark County grand jury has indicted a woman on multiple felony charges alleging she stole more than $73,000 from two local booster organizations over a span of more than two years.
Trisha Lynn Smith was indicted on one count of third-degree felony telecommunications fraud, two counts of fourth-degree felony misuse of credit cards, one count of fourth-degree felony grand theft and one count of fifth-degree felony theft, according to records filed in Stark County Common Pleas Court. Prosecutors allege the offenses occurred between May 2023 and December 2025.
According to the indictment, Smith is accused of stealing from both the NC Cheerleader Parents Association and the Lady Vikings Basketball Booster Club.
Police investigations obtained by Jordan Miller News provide additional details about the allegations.
According to a North Canton police report, investigators met with representatives of the NC Cheerleader Parents Association on July 18, 2025, after they reported suspected financial losses from the organization’s bank account. At the time, investigators were told the exact amount missing had not yet been determined but was believed to be in the tens of thousands of dollars based on the organization’s preliminary findings.
The investigation states Smith served as the organization’s acting treasurer from September 2023 until July 2025, when she voluntarily stepped down after concerns were raised about the association’s finances.
Investigators obtained court orders for bank records from multiple financial institutions and requested Zelle transaction records covering Sept. 1, 2023, through July 15, 2025, as part of the investigation. According to the police report, authorities determined that $66,648.88 was allegedly stolen from the NC Cheerleader Parents Association.
A separate North Canton police investigation involving the Lady Vikings Basketball Booster Club began on Nov. 24, 2025, after the organization’s president reported missing funds from the booster club’s bank account.
According to that report, a coach reported that a $250 check written on Nov. 5, 2025, for a youth travel basketball player was never deposited into the booster club’s account, despite records allegedly showing it had been deposited elsewhere.
The report also alleges $2,650 in youth basketball registration fees collected during August and September 2025 had been deposited into a Venmo account instead of the booster club’s account. Investigators requested bank records, emails, text messages and booster club meeting minutes as part of the investigation.
According to the police report, investigators determined that $6,898.34 was allegedly stolen from the Lady Vikings Basketball Booster Club.
Combined, the two investigations allege $73,547.22 was stolen from the organizations.
The indictment also alleges Smith committed two separate instances of misuse of credit cards and telecommunications fraud as part of the alleged scheme.
Smith is scheduled to appear in Stark County Common Pleas Court for arraignment at a later date.
