SPEARFISH, S.D. — A local youth sports organization is once again at the center of an embezzlement investigation after a Spearfish woman was formally charged with stealing thousands of dollars from the program.

Ashley Spilman, 39, faces a Class 5 felony charge of grand theft by embezzlement involving an amount greater than $2,500 but less than $5,000, according to court documents. An indictment was handed down on Aug. 26, followed by the issuance of an arrest warrant on Monday.

Law enforcement officials allege that the funds were siphoned from the Spearfish Rams youth football organization earlier this year. The legal action comes months after the Rams’ board of directors publicly alerted the community in June that certain donations and corporate sponsorship funds collected between December 2025 and June 2026 had gone missing and were never deposited into the group’s accounts.

In response to the missing funds, the board stated it has implemented stricter financial oversight protocols and is fully cooperating with ongoing police inquiries.

This marks the second financial scandal to hit the Spearfish Rams in recent years. In 2018, a former commissioner for the organization pleaded guilty to embezzlement charges that spanned multiple local youth athletic programs.

Spilman’s case is currently proceeding through the court system.