The mother and uncle of a young St. Paul man who was set on fire by his mother's boyfriend this past summer reportedly stole money donated to him and spent it on gambling and drugs.
Jeffrey Allen Stewart, 43, of South St. Paul, and Jodi Ann Stewart, 40, are accused of stealing $2,500 from a relief fund just weeks after Antoine Willis, 19, was burned and while he was still in the hospital in intensive care.
They were charged in Dakota County Court on Tuesday with one count each of theft by swindle. Stewart is being held in the Dakota County jail and is to make his first court appearance Wednesday. The boy's mother hasn't been located; police have a warrant for her arrest, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.
According to the criminal complaints, Willis did not give permission for the funds to be collected by the uncle in the first place, because he did not trust him.
"Taking funds intended to benefit an injured young man is a significant breach of trust," Backstrom said.
In a case that sparked outrage, Curtis Edwin Reed set Willis on fire while he slept on July 20 because the teenager had tried to break up a fight between his mother and Reed, according to Ramsey County District Court documents. The teen ran from the house with his head surrounded by a large fireball and suffered second- and third-degree burns to his head, neck and torso.
Investigators looking into the alleged theft used deposit slips and surveillance tape from banks in South St. Paul and Woodbury to determine that Jeffrey and Jodi Stewart took the money on Aug. 4 and 5.
South St. Paul police confronted the uncle, who reportedly admitted taking the money. He said the mother "talked him into" using it for a casino run after he'd originally planned to use it for an apartment for Willis.
