Sewickley Woman Charged With Taking From Kids Charity

A Sewickley woman is facing charges accused of stealing $1,025 in tickets from a kids charity organization to attend Pittsburgh theater and professional sporting events.

Baden police charged Janice Lendick, 59, of Grimes Street, last month with six counts of theft by deception and six counts of theft of services.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Ambridge District Court, the charity ticket thefts occurred last year while Lendick worked at the Prevention Network in Baden, an organization that specializes in working with students who can’t function in a public school system due to behavioral issues.

Dennis Sutter, CEO and principal of Prevention Network, reported to police on May 10 that Lendick had abused the Tickets For Kids charity program she was assigned to oversee for the Prevention Network.

Police said Lendick was responsible for requesting tickets with Sutter's approval to accompany Prevention Network students to events. Once students used the tickets, she filled out a review form and questionnaire for the children's charity. 
 
Over the course of two years, police said Lendick took students to 17 authorized events during school hours.

But police said she also took $1,025 worth of unauthorized tickets for six events that Sutter never signed off on.      

Those events included seven tickets to Billy Elliott The Musical worth $315; tickets to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater; four tickets to Streb: Forces worth $196; three tickets to a Pittsburgh Steelers game worth $300; 10 tickets to A Musical Christmas Carol worth $130; and eight tickets to Pirates Fan Fest worth $84.  

Police said Lendick claimed she was taking students in order to obtain tickets, but was using them personally for events during after-school hours, mostly on the weekends. 

After each unauthorized event, police said Lendick filled out the required form and listed her comments acknowledging that she attended. Police said the unapproved events were also written on her professional desk calendar as a reminder.

A co-worker brought the discrepancies to Sutter, who then reported the matter to the Tickets for Kids charity. The organization suggested he contact the police and has suspended The Prevention Network from the program until the matter is resolved.  

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 26 in Beaver County. 

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