TEDNA

An excerpt:

Six months after a South Dakota couple died in a murder-suicide, Attorney General Marty Jackley said they stole money meant to improve college readiness among Native American students.

“There has been a loss or a theft of over $1 million,” Jackley said during a March 16 press conference.

Scott Westerhuis allegedly killed his wife, Nicole, and their four children, Kailey, Jaeci, Connor and Michael, and then took his own life on September 17, 2015. Scott and Nicole both worked for Mid-Central Educational Cooperative, and the deaths happened only hours after the Department of Education informed Mid-Central that it would be losing a $4.3 million federal contract for GEAR UP, a program that helps prepare Native American students for college, due to financial problems and accounting issues.

Scott had served as the business manager at Mid-Central, and Nicole as assistant business manager, reports the Associated Press. Scott was also linked to nonprofits that received GEAR UP funding, including the American Indian Institute for Innovation.

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