A former employee of Clarkesville’s Apple Mountain Golf Club, Chad Fields, 42, of Mt. Airy, has been accused of embezzling over $50,000 from the company.
The theft was allegedly discovered after an internal investigation following Fields’ termination on Jan. 2, according to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.
Patrick Politan, a representative from the company Great Life Golf, reported the incident and told police that Fields had accepted membership renewal payments directly from members instead of routing the funds to the company. Authorities say Politan provided evidence that several members paid Fields through Venmo, rather than paying the company directly.
Following Fields’ termination, the company conducted a thorough review of his office and financial records, allegedly uncovering 76 receipts for membership renewals and 19 merchandise receipts. An audit revealed that $21,028 worth of merchandise was missing from the company’s inventory, according to police.
A report of the incident stated Politan told authorities that while inventory is usually conducted with two people signing off on the paperwork, Fields had been forging signatures and conducting inventory alone.
The investigation also allegedly found that Fields had stolen specific merchandise, including approximately $22,590 worth of Taylormade products, $1,015 in Stitches merchandise and $4,033.96 worth of Cobra items.
The report states that during a search of Fields’ office, officials discovered several debt collection notices addressed to him, indicating financial troubles leading up to the theft. Further scrutiny allegedly revealed missing deposits from previous years, according to the report, including $6,691 in late December 2023 and $2,475.71 in late December 2024. On the day of his termination, an additional $107 was allegedly found missing from the company’s cash register.
Fields was arrested on a charge of theft by deception on Feb. 20.
