A 78-year-old Cobb County man is accused taking nearly $18,000 from his neighborhood association and using part of it to pay his bills.
Douglas Gilpatrick Tulper, of Kennesaw, allegedly took $17,799.82 from December 2009 until June 2011 while he served as treasurer of the Legacy Park Men's Club, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the AJC. The men's club is a part of the Legacy Park Community Association, located in Kennesaw.
Tulper allegedly paid personal credit card bills with the men's club account, the warrant states. He also allegedly wrote 14 checks from the account made payable to "cash," according to police. The checks, which Tulper allegedly signed, totaled $10,080.01, according to the warrant.
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office secured a warrant for Tulper on Jan. 18, records show.
Tulper turned himself in Friday morning and was arrested and charged with two counts of felony theft by taking, according to Cobb County jail records. He was released less than three hours later after posting $10,000 bond.
According to a letter posted on the neighborhood's website, community leaders were made aware of the alleged crimes in early 2011 and after requesting information from men's club members, turned the matter over to police.
The neighborhood's homeowners association plans to audit all of its committees, the letter states.
"...the Board is beginning the process to conduct an audit of all of the finances for all Legacy Park committees as well as for the Association itself," the letter states. "All committees will be subject to strict standards for review, which includes, but is not limited to, reporting requirements and regular audits."
A spokeswoman for the neighborhood's homeowners association declined to discuss the matter when contacted by telephone Monday.
About the Author
