LAKE WALES, Fla. — A former Lake Wales Police Department (LWPD) employee was arrested on Sept. 5 after she used a nonprofit credit card for personal use, authorities said.
Leslie Grondin, 46, of Lake Wales, was arrested and charged with fraudulent use of a credit card (felony) and petit theft (misdemeanor) following an investigation into unauthorized use of nonprofit funds.
WATCH: Former Lake Wales police employee arrested for credit card fraud, theft: LWPD
On Sep 4, Grondin resigned from the Lake Wales Police Department, where she had worked as a staff assistant since April 1, 2024.
The investigation began on Sept. 3, when a representative from the Lake Wales High School Band Association contacted police and reported suspected fraudulent activity on their bank account. Detectives identified the suspect as Grondin, who was serving as treasurer of the nonprofit organization.
Detectives uncovered the following unauthorized transactions made with the organization’s account:
* April 1, 2025 – $90 charge to the National Society of High School Scholars.
* April 14, 2025 – $227.63 charge for a hotel stay at the Residence Inn in Gainesville.
* April 29, 2025 – $174.82 payment for Grondin’s personal residential water bill.
During questioning on Sep 3, Grondin said she used the organization’s debit card to pay her water bill because she was “tight on money,” according to an LWPD report.
She also admitted to the hotel stay, claiming she may have used the wrong card, according to police officials. However, in her Treasurer’s Report, she listed the hotel stay and water bill charges as fraudulent, informing the board she would follow up with the bank, but never did, the report stated.
With the National Society of High School Scholars payment, Grondin first denied the charge, but later provided a receipt for that purchase, the report stated.
At the time of the transactions, Grondin had sole custody of the Band Association’s debit card and was responsible for preparing and submitting financial reports. On May 8, 2025, she submitted the April Treasurer’s Report, where she lied about two of the unauthorized charges that the report stated.
Grodin’s annual police department salary was $46,363.20. She did not handle money or conduct financial transactions for the department, police officials said. Grondin did not have any disciplinary records during her employment with the department.
This investigation remains active as detectives continue to review past transactions.
"I was 100% sure it was them."
A Tampa Bay area landscaping business owner narrowly avoided losing $15,000 to scammers who impersonated his bank and knew his detailed banking history. Tampa Bay 28 I-Team Investigator shares his story and how to spot the same "cash bag scam".
