By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MIDDLETOWN - Theft is suspected in the case of more than $200,000 missing from a social club's bank accounts, police said Tuesday.

"We think it's a criminal matter. We don't think it's a clerical error," said Lt. Don Owens. No charges have been filed in one of the largest suspected thefts city police have investigated in recent memory, Owens said.

The probe began after the Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge 528 filed a police report Friday, on the advice of bank officials.

An Eagles officeholder learned there were insufficient funds to cover a $2,000 check from an account that was supposed to contain $193,000. The officeholder then attempted to draw the check on another account, but it contained only $1,100 instead of the $38,000 he expected, the report says.

Despite the missing funds, "We're up and running as normal," said Mark Young, who became the lodge's secretary about a week ago, after the problems surfaced. He declined to say who held the job previously.

The 1,500-member club has been able to maintain operations by transferring money that had been invested in certificates of deposit, Young explained.

At the same time, the club is trying to further trace records that might reveal what happened to the missing funds, he said. The club has requested copies of bank statements dating to January 2002, Young said. "It's going to be a long, slow process" to compare those statements with the club's financial ledgers, Young said.

One of two Eagles groups in Middletown, the lodge at 1300 First Ave. is pushing forward with plans for a three-week celebration of its 100th anniversary in November, Young said.

Besides serving as a social outlet for its members, the Eagles organization routinely provides scholarships and donations to charities or law-enforcement groups, Young said.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com