WAYNESVILLE — A former youth baseball coach charged with stealing $16,000 from this village's youth baseball fund agreed in court Tuesday to repay $8,000 and return this month to face criminal charges.

        League officials said the shortfall has left nearly 300 youngsters in this small Warren County community without two new baseball fields that were scheduled to be built this season, thereby wrecking game and practice schedules.

Winningham

        An umpire told Waynesville police last fall that a check from the Waynesville Baseball Association had bounced because of insufficient funds.

        Police began investigating the association's treasurer — Craig Winningham, 36, of Waynesville — and arrested him at his home in January charging him with felony theft.

        The former coach, a father of three and a longtime village resident, was scheduled for a hearing Tuesday before Warren County Judge Dallas Powers, but his attorney negotiated an out-of-court settlement with county prosecutors.

        Judge Powers agreed to continue his case until May 28, when Mr. Winningham will face lesser criminal charges if his offer of a restitution schedule to repay the remaining $8,000 is accepted by baseball association officials.

        Mr. Winningham, who began coaching in the league in 1998 and took on the duties of treasurer in 2001, declined to comment.

        Rick Aiken, president of the Waynesville Baseball Association, said he and other parents were angry about the missing $16,000, much of which was raised by volunteer efforts of both adults and children during the off-season.

        “That's the sad part of all this, that it took a lot of people a lot of time to come up with that kind of money,” Mr. Aiken said.

        The association's budget for about 20 baseball and T-ball teams for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 years old is more than $22,000 annually.

        Baseball parent Hugh Stockler said the impact on hundreds of Waynesville children is “terrible.”

        “The whole association will suffer. Our team did our own fund-raising last year with kids selling submarine sandwiches door-to-door,” he said.

        Mr. Stockler welcomed a plea agreement because it would be the quickest way for the youth league to recover at least some of its money for the coming season.

        Association officials said they will initiate emergency fund raising and that anyone interested in helping to finance the youth league may do so by mailing a donation to the Waynesville Baseball Association, in care of the Lebanon Citizens National Bank, 9 North Main St., Waynesville, OH 45068.

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