A Harmony man was accused of failing to hand over thousands of dollars raised during a golf outing for a Chicora nonprofit hunting organization for children with special needs, according to charges filed Monday, June 10.

John W. Minarik, 36, was charged with two counts of felony theft and misdemeanor theft after Zelienople police said he spent over $10,000 that was raised during an event for Nevin’s Hunting Friends, an organization that holds hunting trips for children with special needs or illnesses.

Dan Burns, organization president, said it was started in 2014 by his son, Nevin, who has juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

“He came up with it, and I ran with it, and we’ve been going strong ever since,” he said. “We like to get the kids out as much as possible.”

Now at age 18, Nevin is chairman of the nonprofit, according to Burns.

The group organizes eight events per year with up to 20 children attending at a time, Burns said.

The funds it never received from the Sept. 9 golf outing were supposed to go toward out-of-state hunting trips for children.

“The guy didn’t do it towards me. He did it towards the kids,” Burns said.

According to police, Minarik hosted a golf outing at Aubrey’s Dubbs Dred Golf Course in Butler Township as a fundraiser for Nevin’s Hunting Friends.

At the event, donation checks were made out to Veteran Containers, a business owned by Minarik, police said. Charging documents indicate attendees could also make donations though a card machine provided by Minarik at the event.

According to Burns, one of Minarik’s employees served as a volunteer for the hunting organization, and was in charge of the golf outing for the past six years.

Police said Minarik accused the employee of stealing the funds from the outing. According to Burns, Minarik later fired that employee.

Burns said when the accusation was made, he didn’t believe his volunteer was involved in theft.

“I don’t think my friend could do that to us,” he said.

Police said Minarik came to the department in December and disclosed he had spent all the fundraiser money.

Police said Minarik’s former employee reported $11,820 was raised during the golf outing. He disclosed instructing Minarik to pay the golf course for the outing and then write a check for Nevin’s Hunting Friends for the remaining money raised, which charging documents say was around $10,320.

Police said Minarik deposited the checks from the golf outing, but never provided the funds to Nevin’s Hunting and Friends.

While Burns called the stolen funds a “roadblock” for the organization, he said they will not stop trying to provide children with hunting experiences. To recuperate some of the loss, he said the group has hosted a Night at the Races event and several gun raffles.

“We’re continuing; we’re not stopping operations because of it,” he said. “This is a bump in the road ... I will not go down without a fight.”

Minarik’s preliminary hearing is not yet scheduled.