Indiana Superintendent Charged With Fraud for Using Her Insurance To Help A Sick Student

An act of true kindness is about to land an Indiana woman in jail. 

USA Today reports Casey Smitherman, the superintendent of Elwood Community Schools in Indiana, allegedly used her own son’s health insurance ID card to help a sick student in need of care,  and now is facing multiple charges including insurance fraud. 

According to an affidavit, Smitherman was worried about a 15-year-old student who had not come to school on January 9th. When she contacted him, he told her that he was sick and had stayed home due to a sore throat. 

“After making sure he had eaten, I could tell he had some of the symptoms of strep throat,” Smitherman said in a written statement provided by her attorney. “As a parent, I know how serious this illness can be if left untreated, and I took him to an emergency clinic.”

Reports say she took the boy to St. Vincent Immediate Care in Elwood and used her son’s insurance card to pay for the student’s care. 

The boy was prescribed antibiotics, and they filled the prescription at a nearby CVS, the total bill was $233. 

Smitherman’s attorney claims that his client and her family have helped the student in the past as he lives with an elderly family member who does not have a car or a lot of money. The Smitherman family has helped them previously by buying food, clothing and Christmas gifts when they could. 

Smitherman didn’t want to contact the Department of Child Services because she feared the boy would be removed from his family and placed into foster care. However, DCS has since opened an investigation. 

She’s facing three felony charges of insurance fraud, identity deception, and official misconduct and a misdemeanor charge of insurance fraud as well. 

While Prosecutors said they understand that she was trying to do something good, they believe she went about it all in the wrong way.