JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The former president of the Jamestown Basketball Boosters is facing charges of embezzlement, theft of keys, and obstruction of justice.
Jessica Thorlakson served as President of the club for the fall and spring of 2020 and 2021, and again from 2021 to 2022. While she was President of the club, Thorlakson had a debit card to the club’s bank account.
According to court documents, from December of 2021 through March of 2022, Thorlakson began writing checks just shy of $3,000 to herself putting travel reimbursement in the memo line, but providing no additional details or documentation to the club. Additionally, the documents reveal several cash withdrawals, each amounting to hundreds of dollars, with no accompanying records. Suspiciously, there were also expenses categorized as ‘concessions food purchases,’ including items like men’s gloves and a video, which raised questions.
In 2022, Thorlakson resigned from her position, citing personal reasons. However, she refused to return the concession keys, deposits, or receipts. Upon reviewing the financial records of the Jamestown Basketball Boosters, it became apparent that there was a shortfall of $9,339 due to unauthorized withdrawals, mileage reimbursements lacking proper documentation, and missing receipts. Members of the organization attempted to arrange meetings with Jessica, but she consistently failed to appear. As a last resort, the board threatened legal action against her. When she still did not comply, the matter was taken to court, but the case was eventually dismissed, as the legal expenses were projected to surpass the losses incurred.
The club officially reported the incident to the Jamestown Police on March 2, 2023. Thorlakson missed a scheduled meeting with the police on April 3, 2023; however, she did meet with them on September 18, 2023. During this meeting, she denied any theft and asserted that some of the questionable expenditures were accidental. On September 27, 2023, Thorlakson met with the police again and returned the concession keys along with five boxes of items belonging to the booster club. When questioned about the prolonged delay in returning these items, she attributed it to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
According to court documents, Thorlakson struggled to provide a reasonable explanation for the unaccounted-for cash withdrawals. She had written herself three checks totaling $1,781.92, citing mileage reimbursement, but without any supporting documentation or clarification. In one instance, she claimed to have driven from a lake in Minnesota to a Sioux Falls Sam’s Club to make purchases for a Jamestown concession event.
A detective, acting under subpoena and in collaboration with local businesses, was able to recover numerous missing receipts, ultimately revealing that the actual amount of misappropriated funds was $5,228.36. The detective noted that Thorlakson frequently referred to her cell phone for answers during questioning, rather than relying on the documents she had provided. This led to the detective confiscating her phone, which resulted in Thorlakson’s arrest for obstruction of justice.
Thorlakson has a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 18th.