Aurora
— Four former InkStop Inc. executives were indicted Sept. 1 in
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on 32 charges, including theft,
securities fraud, forgery, bribery, corrupt activity and
prohibitions.The charges were against Aurora residents Dirk Kettlewell,
45, the company’s chief executive officer, and his wife Dawn
Callahan-Kettlewell, 38, the vice president of sales.
Also
charged were Vice President of Real Estate and Construction Mark L.
Race, 62, of Chardon and Chief Financial Officer Dale Fuller, 60, of
Shaker Heights.According to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
website, Dirk Kettlewell was charged with 15 counts of securities fraud,
12 counts of aggravated theft, two counts forgery and one count each of
bribery and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and
prohibitions.Dawn Callahan-Kettlewell’s charges are 16 counts of
securities fraud, 11 counts of aggravated theft, two counts of forgery
and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Race
was charged with 16 counts of securities fraud, 12 counts of aggravated
theft and one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and
Fuller’s charges are eight counts of securities fraud, six counts of
aggravated theft and one count each of bribery and engaging in a pattern
of corrupt activity.The four former executives’ arraignments have been
scheduled for Sept. 16, according to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common
Pleas.InkStop, an ink and toner retailer that was based in Warrensville
Heights, closed last October, idling about 500 employees at 152
stores.The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy
Court in November. It had local stores in Bainbridge, Solon and Hudson.
The
company, founded by the Kettlewells, said in its bankruptcy filing that
it owed nearly $48.3 million to more than 1,000 creditors. The firm is
the target of several lawsuits and legal complaints filed after its
closing.The field at Aurora High School’s Veterans Stadium was named
after the company after it gave more than $200,000 to the Greenmen Pride
organization to buy artificial turf.The company’s logo was removed from
the endzone prior to the start of the fall sports season.