The Jefferson County Building, which houses the Jefferson County Combined Courts, is pictured March 9, 2016, in Golden. (Katie Wood/The Denver Post)
A local day camp for adults with developmental disabilities is accusing its former office manager and bookkeeper — and the founder’s ex-wife — of embezzling $860,000 from the company over five years.
Encouraging Development Inc., in Littleton, transports and mentors adults with special needs in the metro area, according to its website. CEO Dave Drum founded it in 1999.
On March 15, that company sued Courtney Ward for theft in Jefferson County District Court.
Encouraging Development said Ward was its office manager and bookkeeper between late 2007 and January of this year, when she resigned. She was paid $120,000 per year until her salary doubled to $240,000 per year in 2019, according to last week’s lawsuit.
Between 2009 and 2014, she was also married to Drum, according to the company.
Since Ward’s resignation Jan. 21, Encouraging Development has eyed its finances and found that Ward “engaged in an extensive, years-long scheme to steal (or) embezzle” $863,390 in company funds, according to Encouraging Development, which is still investigating.
Ward’s alleged scheme, which operated between late 2018 and early 2024, included writing $420,000 in company checks to herself, withdrawing $136,000 from company accounts at ATMs, wiring $126,000 to herself and paying off $90,000 in personal expenses.
Messages left for Ward on her listed phone numbers were not returned this week, nor was a message left for Ward at her five-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Littleton, which is listed for $1.6 million. A message left with Ward’s realtor was not answered.
Reached by phone, Drum declined to discuss the Ward case at the advice of his lawyers.
In addition to civil theft, Encouraging Development is suing its former employee for unjust enrichment and breach of her fiduciary duty. If Ward is found to have committed theft, she will have to repay her ex-employer three times the amount that she stole.
Encouraging Development’s lawyers are Brian Reynolds and Patrick Gillette with the Reynolds Gillette law firm in Denver, who did not answer requests to discuss the case.
The Jefferson County Building, which houses the Jefferson County Combined Courts, is pictured March 9, 2016, in Golden. (Katie Wood/The Denver Post)
A local day camp for adults with developmental disabilities is accusing its former office manager and bookkeeper — and the founder’s ex-wife — of embezzling $860,000 from the company over five years.
Encouraging Development Inc., in Littleton, transports and mentors adults with special needs in the metro area, according to its website. CEO Dave Drum founded it in 1999.
On March 15, that company sued Courtney Ward for theft in Jefferson County District Court.
Encouraging Development said Ward was its office manager and bookkeeper between late 2007 and January of this year, when she resigned. She was paid $120,000 per year until her salary doubled to $240,000 per year in 2019, according to last week’s lawsuit.
Between 2009 and 2014, she was also married to Drum, according to the company.
Since Ward’s resignation Jan. 21, Encouraging Development has eyed its finances and found that Ward “engaged in an extensive, years-long scheme to steal (or) embezzle” $863,390 in company funds, according to Encouraging Development, which is still investigating.
Ward’s alleged scheme, which operated between late 2018 and early 2024, included writing $420,000 in company checks to herself, withdrawing $136,000 from company accounts at ATMs, wiring $126,000 to herself and paying off $90,000 in personal expenses.
Messages left for Ward on her listed phone numbers were not returned this week, nor was a message left for Ward at her five-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Littleton, which is listed for $1.6 million. A message left with Ward’s realtor was not answered.
Reached by phone, Drum declined to discuss the Ward case at the advice of his lawyers.
In addition to civil theft, Encouraging Development is suing its former employee for unjust enrichment and breach of her fiduciary duty. If Ward is found to have committed theft, she will have to repay her ex-employer three times the amount that she stole.
Encouraging Development’s lawyers are Brian Reynolds and Patrick Gillette with the Reynolds Gillette law firm in Denver, who did not answer requests to discuss the case.
