Elk Grove High booster club treasurer charged

An Elk Grove Village man has been charged with stealing several thousand dollars from an Elk Grove High School booster club, said Sgt. David Naumann of the Elk Grove Police Department.

The man, Joseph Lohndorf, 57, of 1144 Cheltenham Road, faces one count of felony theft and appeared Dec. 6 at the Rolling Meadows courthouse, where he was released on a $10,000 bond.

"Over the course of several years, Lohndorf permanently removed funds from this account," Naumann said.

Lohndorf was the treasurer of the booster club. He was not an employee of Northwest Suburban High School District 214 , Naumann said.

He declined to say exactly how much money was stolen from the club or if Lohndorf is a parent of an Elk Grove High School student.

The booster club is called the Elk Grove High School Parents Foundation. Members raise money for groups like the chess club and events like the Science Olympiad. The foundation has also donated money to smaller athletic teams such as badminton, said District 214 spokeswoman Venetia Miles.

Miles confirmed that "thousands of dollars" were stolen from the account but didn't have an exact figure. Miles also didn't know the foundation's annual budget.

"They maintain their own funds and the oversight of those fund as well," she said.

The group raises money and accepts donations from local parents, businesses and individuals, Miles said.

District 214 school officials were notified by a member of the club of the alleged theft late this spring. Because Lohndorf isn't a District 214 employee and because the money belongs to a private group, the member was referred to the police, Miles said.

"All I can say is that this is a sad and unfortunate situation that impacts the school, students and community," Miles said.

Lohndorf's next court date is Jan. 4 in Rolling Meadows.