A former Lakeville South high school softball coach was charged Wednesday with stealing more than $15,000 from booster-club funds over the past two years.

Eric Heflin, 65, of Rosemount, was charged with three felony counts of theft by swindle. The charges said the thefts happened between December 2018 and July 2020, when he was the varsity softball coach. He had been coach at Lakeville South since October 2018.

According to the charges, Heflin filed a reimbursement request of more than $2,300 for a project involving field work he said was completed by a company that did not exist. He appeared to have falsified the invoice.

When questioned about the invoices, Heflin stated he was not sure if he submitted any "homemade" invoices to the booster club and acknowledged he made up invoices he submitted in one instance. In total, investigators found he had falsified invoices on nine occasions.

The expenses included time for indoor practices, softballs and helmets, uniforms and other equipment.

Heflin will make his first appearance in the next few weeks.

DAVID CHANEN