It’s not everyday you help somebody out… then get arrested for it. But it sure can happen.
In Indiana, Casey Smitherman was serving as the superintendent of Elwood Community Schools when she learned that a 15-year-old student had missed school because of a sore throat. Casey then took him to a health facility for treatment. But while there, she passed off the youngster as her own son and used her insurance card to pay for the treatment. She originally had taken him to an urgent care facility but he was denied treatment there because Casey was not his guardian. That’s when she took the boy to a local hospital and identified him using her own son’s name.
She later would tell police that she was worried about the boy for missing school and that she drove to his house and discovered he was ill. The student does not live with his parents and was under the guardianship of a relative. In the past she had bought clothes for him and cleaned his house.
Casey said she did not contact child welfare about the boy’s illness because she feared he would be placed in a foster home. The superintendent was arrested and charged with insurance fraud and identity deception, along with official misconduct. She was released from jail after posting a $500 bond.
Said Casey in a statement shortly after her arrest: “I am committed to this community and our students, and I regret if this action has undermined your trust in me. From the beginning, my ultimate goal has been to provide the best environment for Elwood students’ growth physically, mentally and academically, and I remain focused on that purpose.”
School corporation officials said Casey made an “unfortunate mistake,” but that she had their full support. However, within a few weeks, she resigned from her post. What Casey did may well have been out of concern for the youngster, but she obviously went about it the wrong way. And perhaps she is showing just a little too much concern for him… buying him clothes, cleaning his house, doing special things for him. It was a sore throat, and she was treating it like he had a severe case of appendicitis. She ruled over an entire school corporation. Did she take time out every time any student got sick, regardless of their circumstances? She might have done it out of the kindness of her heart, but then again one might even believe her to have an unhealthy relationship with this teenage boy. You just never know, and it’s certainly worth debating.
