Parents and their children who live in Union Township, Ohio are in shock after their little league coach, William Mitchell, stole money that the team raised in order to fund their events and pictures.

A background check was conducted after the allegations surfaced that Mitchell pocketed the team’s money, and it revealed previous charges of DUI, criminal mischief and receipt of stolen property. Mitchell has now been charged with theft (the team raised about $900) and has been jailed.

Many of the parents assumed that the league had conducted a background check prior to Mitchell’s employment as a coach, but that not found to be the case. Deedra Kellerman, who has a child on the team, was quoted as saying, “We were under the impression that our kids would be safe and that we’d have safe, responsible people coaching them when in fact, we don’t.”

This incident, while unfortunate, shows the importance of conducting background checks, and also the parents’ obligation to make sure the checks are being done.