How Elmhurst Cops Are Handling School Official's Misspending

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst police revealed late last week how they are addressing a former school official's misspending on his credit card.

"The matter is under active review by the Elmhurst Police Department," Kassondra Schref, the police department's spokeswoman, said in an email to Patch.

In February and lately, Patch submitted public records requests for the district's correspondence with the police department about Todd Schmidt, Elmhurst School District 205's former facilities director.

In both cases, the district produced no documents, meaning officials have not written the police about it.

Last December, Patch asked Schref about the police department's approach to Schmidt's personal spending on a government credit card. She said the outcome of the district's audit would determine the police's next step.

As it turns out, the audit did not look into Schmidt's spending, but generally examined the district's credit card procedures.

Last week, Patch sent the audit and the district's list of Schmidt's personal spending to the city.

Patch obtained the list of spending through a public records request. Patch reported much of the misspending to the public in December.

Years ago, a public official in another Illinois town was convicted of felony charges in connection with similar credit card spending.

In December, Schmidt resigned a couple of weeks after he was arrested in Rockford on charges of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his mother.

In District 205, Schmidt's spending included booze, cigars, restaurant meals, airfare, groceries and country club and sorority payments. He reimbursed all the money through checks, essentially getting short-term loans on the taxpayers' dime.