Indiana superintendent charged with fraud for allegedly using own insurance to help ill student

Casey Smitherman (Madison County jail)

An Indiana school superintendent is facing fraud charges for allegedly using her son's name to seek medical treatment for a sick student.

Casey Smitherman, who heads the Elwood Community School Corporation, faces insurance fraud, insurance application fraud and identity deception. On Jan. 9, she allegedly took a 15-year-old student to a doctor after he didn’t show up to school due to a sore throat, FOX affiliate WXIN-TV in Indianapolis reported.

"After making sure he had eaten, I could tell he had some of the symptoms of strep throat," Smitherman said in a Wednesday statement obtained by the station. "As a parent, I know how serious this illness can be if left untreated, and I took him to an emergency clinic."

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At the doctor's office, Smitherman allegedly signed the boy in and obtained a drug prescription for Amoxicillin for him under her son's name. The medical visit and medicine cost $233, according to court documents.

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Police received a tip about the doctor’s visit and followed up with Smitherman. She told investigators she was worried about the teen and in the past had brought him clothes and helped him clean his house, court documents said. In her statement, she said prosecutors agreed to have her attend a diversion program in lieu of jail time.