Photographer accused of stealing thousands from youth football league

HOOKSTOWN, Pa. — A professional photographer is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from families that were part of a Beaver County youth football league.

According to police, Sean Watkins, of East Liverpool, Ohio was hired to take photographs for the South Side Little Rams back in August.

Watkins, of “Sky High Photography,” took the photographs, and collected individual payments from families to the tune of $6,000, according to Todd Matijevich, who was serving as the league’s president at the time.

But weeks went by and Watkins never produced the photographs.

Matijevich told Channel 11 that Watkins initially provided “excuse after excuse,” claiming that he was locked out of his computers.

Eventually, the photographer stopped returning calls, and so Matijevich roped in the state police.

“We had no other choice, unfortunately. It’s not what we wanted to do, but the last thing I’d want is this to happen to somebody else, some other organization,” Matijevich said.

The league offered to reimburse families for the stolen funds, paying out about $5,450.

“That’s hard to make up when you’re a nonprofit, youth organization like we are,” he said. “This is directly going to affect our kids.”

Watkins is now charged with theft and a warrant has been obtained for him after a police report was lodged. Channel 11′s efforts to reach Watkins by phone were not successful Wednesday.

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