After being convicted for stealing $150,000 from P.A.T.H. School for Autism, Inc. and the P.A.T.H. Academy for Autism, Ltd., the former executive director of those nonprofit organizations, which are partly responsible for administering Ohio’s curricula for children with autism, has been sentenced to 90 days in jail.
“Bonnie Kimpling, 53, of Chicago, was sentenced for one count of Aggravated Theft, a third-degree felony, in Williams County Common Pleas Court. In addition to jail time, she was sentenced to five years of community control, fined $2,500 and ordered to pay approx. $32,269 in restitution,” Attorney General Dave Yost’s office said in press release.
The crime was investigated by the Bryan Police Department in conjunctions with the Ohio Department of Education (DOE) and Yost’s office.
If Kimpling does not abide by the requirements of her sentencing, she will face two years in prison.
The Bryan Times reported that the state shelled out almost $600,000 to Kimpling’s nonprofits over a three year period, and that she used $150,000 of that money for “personal gain.”
According to that report, Kimpling blamed her lack of acuity at using the accounting software program Quickbooks for the errors when she took the stand in her own defense at trial.
“I’m pleased with the verdict,” Williams County Prosecutor Katie Zartman reportedly said. “We found justice for the children and families who attended the P.A.T.H. School. I hope she will pay back some or all of the money.”
Yost weighed in, too.
“This school’s mission was to work alongside parents to educate children facing difficult obstacles, not to get rich off of them,” Yost said. “This thief not only let down kids, she left a hole in this community.”
The P.A.T.H. School was permanently closed when Kimpling was indicted in 2020.
Court documents said that the former administrator has been ordered to reported to the Correctional Center of Northwest Ohio (CCNO) on October 15.
– – –
Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dave Yost” by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Background Photo “P.A.T.H.” by P.A.T.H. Academy for Autism.
