Posted on: Thursday, December 30, 2004

Former theater company treasurer indicted

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — The former treasurer of a Hilo theater company has been indicted on 20 charges of theft and forgery for allegedly stealing cash from the group and falsifying records.

Chris Drayer, 54, also is charged with fourth-degree criminal property damage for allegedly damaging a computer or software belonging to the Hilo Community Players, according to the Dec. 22 indictment.

Drayer was treasurer of the theater group until November 2003, but has not been associated with the group since then, said Laura Ward, president of Hilo Community Players.

Ward declined to discuss specifics of the case, including the amount allegedly taken by Drayer. "We're really doing whatever we can to cooperate fully with the authorities," she said.

Hilo Community Players, part of a national organization of community performance groups, has been active in Hilo since 1938, Ward said. It is probably best known for its Shakespeare in the Park productions in downtown Hilo, which Ward said the group has put on for 27 years.

Hilo Community Players is supported mostly with grants from the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, with additional money from private donations and foundations, she said.

The group has about 150 active members, and Ward estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people see its productions each season.

Although the alleged thefts have created a hardship for the Hilo Community Players, the group has continued with new productions, and "our efforts this year have been to continuously strive to get beyond that event," Ward said.

The indictment charges Drayer with 11 counts of second-degree theft for allegedly taking cash and property belonging to Hilo Community Players; three counts of third-degree theft; and four counts of fourth-degree theft for allegedly taking cash. The indictment said the thefts occurred in 2002 and 2003.

Drayer also was indicted for two counts of second-degree forgery for allegedly producing fake letters to obtain money in July 2002 and February 2003, according to the indictment.

Drayer was unavailable for comment.

Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 935-3916.