Lincoln County Superior Court

Grand jury indicts O’Brien in alleged BRHS theft

Thu, 01/07/2016 - 12:45pm

A Boothbay Harbor woman has a March court date after a grand jury indicted her on two charges, including one that alleges she stole more than $1,000 from Boothbay Region High School.

The Jan. 6, Lincoln Unified Criminal Court indictment alleges that Heather O’Brien, now 43, stole the money on or about Nov. 26, 2013. The grand jury also charged her with forging a check for more than $1,000 on or about Nov. 26, 2013. The forgery charge does not name an alleged victim.

O’Brien was president of the Boothbay Region High School Boosters Club when she was arrested Aug. 13, 2015 on a theft charge.

The case’s prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Kanwit, said Jan. 7 that both charges involve the same alleged victim. He said he was not able to comment further on the case.

Superintendent of Schools Eileen King said last summer that she contacted police after reviewing the club’s bank account. The club is separate from the school and its account is not managed by the school, King said at the time.

Tracy Smith, a former member of the club’s board, has said the bank told her on July 23, 2015, that the account was overdrawn; Smith then told BRHS Principal Dan Welch.

King on Thursday said she had not seen the indictment and did not have information on it.

Attempts to reach O’Brien for comment Jan. 7 were unsuccessful. She has been free on an unsecured $2,000 bond since her arrest last August. She has a hearing in Lincoln Unified Court in Wiscasset at 8:30 a.m. March 14, a notice in the court file states.