Police probe Tucker embezzlement

A former Tucker Foundation administrative assistant is under criminal investigation for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars from the service organization, sources close to the query told The Dartmouth. Jason Keenum, a resident of Hartford, Vt., abruptly resigned his post in April after purportedly using funds earmarked for Tucker's "Alternative Spring Break" trips to buy between $10,000 and $15,000 worth of electronic equipment, music recordings and literature, sources said. No charges have been filed in the case, but Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaconne said evidence will be presented to a grand jury for an indictment at an as-yet unspecified date. Through his role as bookkeeper for Tucker's Department of Fellowships and Internships, sources said Keenum acquired and misused fundraising monies from student trip participants during the 2002 Winter term. Keenum refused requests to discuss his employment at Tucker. Internal auditors did not find accounting flaws in Tucker's budget until an examination of the previous year's fiscal accounts two months later, Dean of the Tucker Foundation Stuart Lord said. Both the Hanover Police Department and the Department of Safety and Security were immediately notified, Lord said.