Parkview booster club member who raised alarm over alleged misused funds speaks out

Since the arrest of a Parkview High School track coach in Lilburn for allegedly taking funds from a booster club for personal use, the Parkview parent and booster club member who first raised questions and brought them to school officials regarding the club's finances is speaking to CBS Atlanta about what she uncovered.  

CBS News Atlanta is also learning about the steps Gwinnett County Schools says it is taking to increase oversight of booster clubs.

The Parkview Track and Field Booster Club — according to Gwinnett County Public School officials — is a third-party organization, separate from the school system. The district says it does not run or audit booster clubs, but that they are required to follow certain accounting guidelines.

Police say their investigation found an inappropriate use of booster club funds dating back to 2018. That raises questions: What are those requirements and how are they enforced?

Parkview parent and booster club member Ashley Suter says she first became suspicious of Parkview's track coach Matthew Henson more than a year ago, when a bank teller showed her debit card charges made from the track and field booster account, charges she says appeared unusual.

"It just said 'apple.com,' and it was anywhere from $9.99 to $149.  And it was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, " Suter says.

According to Suter, Henson had an explanation.  

"He called me on the phone and told me that one of his family members, his child, had stolen the card," she said.

Suter said she and two other Parkview booster account signers whose names Suter would not share with CBS News Atlanta were authorized to deposit and withdraw funds — no pre-authorizations needed, no paperwork required.  

"I never had access to a statement. Nothing," Suter says.

Suter does say bank statements were being issued, by email, but to only one of the account's signers — Henson.

"We just happened to get with the branch manager who was able to change the email address, the phone number, you know, things to where we could gain access to the account," she says.

Suter says she reviewed years of bank statements and found checks payable to Henson, charges to a cruise line, fast food restaurants, car wash subscriptions and personal credit card payments.

She added, near tears, "I'm not going to cry. I felt hurt. And angry."

By the end of the 2025 season, Suter says she was shocked to find an amost empty bank account — a balance of $17 — after depositing thousands of dollars from concession sales she says she personally managed.

She described her feelings at the time of the discovery, "Like, how did we get here?"

Lt. Gene Hamilton of Gwinnett County Schools Police Department said in a press conference on Aug. 6 that Henson "was basically, from what we could determine, he was using a debit card that was used for the booster account as well as a checkbook for the booster account."

Gwinnett County Schools Police say their investigation turned up incidents dating back to 2018, saying the total amount allegedly taken by Henson was approximately $65,000.

Henson resigned in November 2025, and was charged on Aug. 5, 2026.

The school district says the information Suter brought them helped lead to the investigation by police.

Suter said she told Gwinnett County school officials, "I'm so sorry that I have to bring this to you. Here we are. Do something about it."

Police arrested Henson and charged him with theft by taking. He was released on a $10,000 bond and is awaiting indictment.  The Gwinnett County District Attorney's office says the case is still under investigation.

Suter says the mental strain has been overwhelming, and worries people in the community will stop seeing her as a credible fundraiser.

"I want other people to know that people are watching, and I want those that are not watching to look a little bit harder," she said. 

CBS News Atlanta reached out to Henson by phone, voicemail and email, but has not heard back, and as of now, the money Henson is accused of taking hasn't been returned.  

A request was made to Gwinnett County Public Schools to provide the procedures, guidelines and requirements it says booster clubs must follow. The district has not provided them to CBS News Atlanta.

While the school system says it is taking steps toward greater oversight of booster clubs, it has not said what those new oversight steps will involve.