RUMFORD – The former president of Moontide Water Festival Inc. was indicted Thursday on a charge of stealing more than $5,000 from the organization last summer.
Matthew J. Plante, 45, of 340 Hancock St. in Rumford, was summoned to appear in court on a felony charge of theft. He is accused of embezzling between $5,000 and $6,000, according to former Rumford Detective Wayne Gallant, who investigated the case.
Plante’s indictment was handed up by the Oxford County grand jury in Paris. An arraignment date has not been set.
Moontide Water Festival Inc. is a public, nonprofit organization responsible for raising about $40,000 each year for Rumford’s traditional weeklong Fourth of July celebration. It has included a downtown carnival, and bills its fireworks display as the largest in Maine.
Since its beginning in 1995, the committee has relied on donations and fund-raisers.
The committee disbanded after the 2003 celebration, and Plante, after retiring from the military and returning to his hometown, stepped in to keep the tradition going. About $40,000 was needed, including $20,000 for fireworks. The town kicked in $10,000 last March.
Last August, Plante reported the committee still owed about $5,600 for the 2004 festival.
A phone call placed to Plante’s residence Thursday night was not answered.
The festival’s new president, Joseph F. Roberts, said the committee was working under the impression that bills were being paid after July 4, “but come to find out, none of them had been paid.”
He said that in mid-July things began to break down.
“At one official meeting, (Plante) would not give us a written treasurer’s report. He just said, Everything’s fine. Things are being taken care of,'” Roberts said.
The organization elected a new treasurer, but “Matt kept dragging his feet about turning stuff over to her,” he said.
In October, Diane Perry of Bangor Savings Bank delivered a letter to Roberts, stating that Moontide’s account had been closed after it was overdrawn by checks.
He said he and others began an internal investigation.
“When the dust had all settled, we found that we owed our creditors between $13,000 and $15,000. By the time the truth was found, it was too late,” Roberts said.
Then, in late October they confronted Plante, who “voluntarily resigned.”
“Matthew Plante was the only committee member investigated, and no suspicion was ever cast on any other committee member,” Roberts added.
Gallant launched a criminal investigation into the matter on Nov. 16, 2004, after members of the Moontide Water Festival Committee reported discrepancies in an account.
The organization has since instituted new policies and procedures, added new officers, and installed new members on the committee.
“We realize we have to rebuild the trust we had with our community. We want the public to know that in spite of these setbacks, we are doing our best to see that the Moontide Water Festival survives, and becomes even better for the benefit of all citizens of the River Valley area,” Roberts said.
“In order for this to happen, we do need the help of the citizenry. We do not want to see this tradition die. We want it to become even better than before,” he added.
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