Accused Embezzler of San Angelo Emergency Corps Funds Goes on Trial in April 2018

SAN ANGELO, TX — The Miles man accused of stealing $104,300.81 from the San Angelo Emergency Corps was indicted in October and his jury trial is set for April 23, 2018. Until then, the accused, Clint Pelzel, is free on a $25,000 bond.

A Tom Green County Grand Jury returned a 20-paragraph indictment accusing him of theft of more than $30,000 but less than $150,000, a Third-Degree Felony.

If Pelzel is found guilty, he faces punishment of 2 to 20 years in the state penitentiary.

Pelzel has hired San Angelo attorney Randol Stout to represent him. In August, when Pelzel was arrested, he promised a spirited defense and denied all charges. He refuses to say more on the advice of his attorney, as that may reveal the defense strategy to the prosecution. Days after word of his arrest circulated in the news, Pelzel lost his job.

Allegations against Pelzel stem from nearly five years he worked as a volunteer at the San Angelo Emergency Corps where Pelzel served as treasurer.

President of the non-profit organization David Behrend blew the whistle on Pelzel when he discovered altered financial documents. They were cut-and-pasted with a “precision tool” where numbers, payee information, and dollar amounts were added or altered. Police investigators also found multiple checks that Pelzel signed as treasurer were to his company at the time named Floors Unlimited.

Behrend also told us that additional evidence was found showing ATM withdrawals supposedly by Pelzel made in faraway places like California and Arizona.

“I expect to be completely exonerated of these charges,” Pelzel told us days after he bonded out of jail. 

According to the San Angelo Emergency Corps Facebook page, the non-profit provides EMS standby with or without ambulance for standby at events or controlled burns. The Corps also provides EMS support for Volunteer Fire Departments in Tom Green County. Scuba divers for rescue or recovery. And they offer parking assistance at civic events. Over a year ago, in September 2016, the San Angelo Emergency Corps announced it was suspending its services. 

Read more about the original complaint here.