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All charges against the former executive director of the Perth Huron Education Foundation were dropped earlier this week at the request of the Crown.

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Laura Pethick, of Stratford, has been charged with fraud over $5,000, using false documents and destroying data.

Pethick, who was hired by the charity in July 2021, was dismissed without cause in March, but chairwoman Colleen Schenk linked the dismissal to “irregularities” that were “later uncovered, which led to the investigation and charges being brought”.

Pethick allegedly defrauded the foundation of more than $5,000 between Nov. 1, 2022, and March 27, 2024. According to the charges, Pethick also “knowingly used a forged document” — a Caring Fund application form — “as if it were authentic” at some point between those same dates.

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Police say Pethick purchased more than $11,000 in gift cards using counterfeit checks.

Pethick was also accused of formatting and changing the password to a laptop account belonging to the foundation between March 7 and May 1 this year.

Pethick appeared briefly at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where her lawyer, Andrew Porter, confirmed she had made the “voluntary payment without prejudice to patient rights” due to the financial burden of continuing to defend the case.

In a statement provided by her lawyer, Pethick said: “She is grateful that all charges against her have been dropped and that these proceedings are now at an end.”

“The allegations made by the Trustees were terribly wrong; the damage to Ms Pethick’s reputation was both unjustified and irreversible.

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“Ms. Pethick is proud of her work with the Foundation, despite the unfounded allegations made by her former employer. She looks forward to finding new and meaningful opportunities to serve the Stratford/Huron community,” the statement read.

One sec Schenk confirmed in an email earlier this week that the compensation would go to the foundation, but declined to comment on the statement from Pethick’s lawyer.

Founded in 1989 and based in Seaforth, the Perth Huron Education Foundation claims to “offer education that goes beyond the levels set by the Ministry of Education.”

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