Daughter's Engagement Party Costs Led To LFHS Theft, Police Told

LAKE FOREST, IL — The tenured Lake Forest High School administrator charged with stealing from a school account told investigators he "borrowed" the money to cover the costs of his daughter's engagement party, according to police. Before his arrest, the school's assistant athletic director had been less than five years from retirement on a teacher's pension, according to employment records obtained by Patch.

Chris Morehead, 56, of Vernon Hills, faces a felony theft charge after an administrator in the District 115 business office noticed that $2,280 in cash and $400 in checks were missing from the LFHS intramural sports program, according to a report from the Lake Forest police school resource officer assigned to the high school.

In response to questions from staff, Morehead told police he faked deposit slips to suggest he sent the money to the finance office in November, according to the report. He also told his boss, Athletic Director Tim Burkhalter, that he had already deposited the money. Burkhalter told police "not for a second did he think" his assistant director had stolen the money.

On Feb. 8, after he told Security Director Lane Linder he "did not want to lie any longer" and admitted to taking the money home and hiding it in a shirt drawer, the district placed Morehead on administrative leave prior to his arrest, police said.

Superintendent Mike Simek has refused to say when Morehead began working at Lake Forest High School or whether he is still employed by the district "because this is a personnel matter."

Documents provided in response to a public records request show the late former Superintendent Robert Metcalf first hired Morehead in April 1990. Intramural sports was his first assignment as a paraprofessional. He would go on to coach and be assistant coach for various volleyball squads, become an assistant coach for the golf and girls' basketball teams, work as an event supervisor and eventually become a full-time wellness teacher in 2012.

According to a December 2018 compensation agreement with the district, Morehead's $116,792-a-year base salary for the 2018-19 school year as a tenured administrator (the "wellness instructional director") was set to rise by 3 percent annually. The district also agreed to fully cover his retirement contribution. Morehead was due to retire in June 2023, the agreement said.

After prosecutors approved a single class 3 felony charge, Morehead was released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond. As a condition of his bail, he was ordered not to set foot on Lake Forest High School or District 113 property without written permission.

Administrators said there were no other financial discrepancies that might suggest other money had been misappropriated, and Morehead said it was the first time that he had taken money, according to the police report.

"My ability to repay as quickly as I wanted to was delayed" Morehead said, in a voluntary statement he provided to police on Feb. 8. He said he "made a story" that the money was stolen to allow for more time time to replace what he called the "borrowed amount."

Police said Morehead explained he was "having financial issues" and had spent about $1,000 of the money for "incidental costs surrounding his daughter's engagement party, such as tips to service workers." He also told police he had used some of the cash for car washes. He said he destroyed the $400 worth of checks.

Morehead appeared in court in Waukegan Friday, where he was represented by Lake Forest attorney James Bertucci, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Morehead is due back in court for a preliminary hearing March 22.

Earlier: Lake Forest High School Assistant Athletic Director Charged With Stealing From School Fund