Former Aurora EMT Gets Six Years, Must Repay Stolen Funds

By Mike Perleberg Craig Whitham leaves the courtroom following his sentencing in Dearborn Circuit Court Tuesday, August 16. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3. (Rising Sun, Ind.) - A sentence of four years in prison, two years on probation has been ordered for an embezzling EMT. Rising Sun resident Craig Whitham stole more than $106,000 from Aurora Emergency Rescue when he served as the non-profit’s treasurer. The money was gambled away by Whitham at local casinos. Whitham, 42, was in Dearborn Circuit Court for sentencing Tuesday after pleading guilty to felony Theft (level 5 felony) last month. Two years of his six year sentence were suspended to probation, with credit given for the time he has served in jail since his arrest in March. In addition to his jail time, Whitham was ordered to begin repaying $113,540.54 to Aurora Emergency Rescue when he is released from custody. The amount includes the $106,000 and change he embezzled, plus the cost of an audit after Aurora Emergency Rescue discovered the theft. Represented by Lawrenceburg attorney Robert Ewbank, Witham did not speak in court other than to respond to questions from Judge James D. Humphrey with a simple “Yes, your honor.” He did submit a three-page, hand-written letter to the court in which he apologized for his actions. “He’s deeply sorry for what has occurred,” Ewbank said, adding that Whitham has a desire to serve his time then get to work paying restitution. Aurora Emergency Rescue president Ed Opp was in the courtroom. He said after the hearing that he is satisfied with the terms of Whitham’s plea agreement. “He was a big part of us. Of course, we’re disappointed with what happened with him. I just hope that he gets the help that he needs,” Opp said. The theft put AER in a difficult financial position. The non-profit emergency medical service is getting by thanks to support from the community and local businesses. “Several thousand dollars have been raised by local businesses. They’ve been very helpful. We couldn’t ask for a better community to step up and give us a helping hand when we need it,” he said. AER has also had to tighten its belt and put off some projects and purchases in order to compensate for the loss, some of which may eventually be covered by insurance, according to Opp. He asserted that the organization is not in danger of closing up shop. “We look forward to doing what we do and continuing the work that we do with the good people that we have. We’ll put this behind us and move on,” Opp said. New controls have been put in place to help protect AER’s accounts, including monthly audits by an outside accounting firm. “We can never say never, but we hope this never happens again,” he concluded. RELATED STORIES: Former EMT, Fugitive Whitham Pleading Guilty To Theft Of Funds Aurora Emergency Rescue In Need Of Financial Relief Following Alleged Theft Former EMT Held On $200K Bond Missing Aurora EMT Charged With Theft Resurfaces, Turns Himself In Aurora Emergency Rescue Reacts To Theft Allegations; Former EMT Remains A Fugitive Missing Aurora EMT Charged With Theft; Allegedly Stole $106K Affidavit Seeks Missing EMT’s Bank Records For Theft Investigation Rising Sun Resident Remains Missing