An Ashburn man has been charged with embezzling funds from a local Little League softball team.
Reginald Earl Drew, 39, was arraigned Tuesday, June 6, at 8:30 a.m., at the General District Court on charges he embezzled $10,000 in donations and annual membership fees from one of the Ashburn Shooting Stars softball teams.
Drew was the coach of the Shooting Stars Black, a 14 and under team for girls. The Shooting Stars are the traveling teams in the Ashburn Girls Softball League (AGSL).
“He had been coaching softball for a while,” AGSL board president Ronna Rush said, “but he was fairly new to the travel teams.”
Drew, whose daughter also played softball, turned himself into authorities the night of Tuesday, May 30, and was later released under his own recognizance by a Loudoun County magistrate. Magistrates are appointed by Circuit Court judges and serve to give an independent review of issues brought to the office by authorities and citizens.
Drew appeared at his arraignment before Judge Dean S. Worcester without an attorney, but told the court that he planned on hiring an attorney himself.
An appointment of counsel date was set for June 16, at 8:30 a.m., at which time paperwork must be submitted to show counsel has been obtained.
A preliminary hearing was set for July 27, at 1:45 p.m., in the General District Court. A prosecuting attorney has not been assigned.
As for his work with the softball teams, Rush said, Drew is not coaching at this time.
“It is still under investigation and it is still an allegation,” she said, “but we thought our best practice would be to remove him from the team.”