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Man accused of stealing money from sick child fund

Posted at 1:46 PM, Feb 27, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-27 18:23:08-05

DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -- A trustee for a fund set up to cover the medical bills of a child with a rare blood disorder has been arrested on embezzlement charges.

trustfundFloyd W. Abernathy III, who is also known as Tray Abernathy, is accused of tapping into the Friends of Baylor fund.

Abernathy was arrested on Feb. 20 and charged with five counts of felony embezzlement, according to court documents. Each of the five embezzlement charges took place Jan. 1 between the years of 2008 and 2012, his online case file indicated.

Sources told CBS 6 News senior reporter Wayne Covil that more than $100,000 is missing from the fund, which was supposed to be used to to pay ongoing medical expenses for a 10-year-old with a rare blood disorder that leads to bone marrow failure.

Late Thursday afternoon, the child's family released a statement asking for privacy.

“We are grateful for the overwhelming support from our community for the well being of our child. This is an unfortunate situation and we hope to have a resolution soon. As this is a legal matter, our family will have no further comment and ask the media to respect our family's privacy."

Abernathy, who was released on bond, is scheduled to appear in court on March 18. That's when a trial date will be set.