MOORESVILLE -- The Mooresville program Cops for Kids is facing intense scrutiny by some in the community after allegations surfaced about bookkeeping by the chief and how cash donations were spent.

Mooresville Police Chief John Crone was supposed to give a presentation to the town board on Monday night in regards to the accusations of financial mismanagement in the mentoring program.

But, “We were not able to assess all of the facts in the situation, so it’s not appropriate for us to discuss it when we don’t have all the facts,” said Mayor Bill Thurnberg.

The recent claims of conflicting account balances have put the program and Crone on the defensive.

“I was never able to balance it because I've never had all the statements,” said the chief in regards to the account. “So there are some things that don't match but until we get an audit done we can't get those answers."

The program, declared by the state as a non-profit organization, unites kids with police officers through out-of-state trips. It also provides funds for more than a dozen other Mooresville organizations.

In recent days, Crone said town officials collected receipts, deposit slips and other documents from the program as part of the investigation.

Mayor Thurnberg was unsure when it would be complete.

"We have a responsibility to all of the people -- including those folks serving in the police department as well as the citizens -- to avoid any kind of speculation,” he said.

Crone hopes that once an impartial auditor looks at the numbers, he and the program will be validated. "I hope they have enough trust in me to believe I'm telling the truth when I say that not a penny has been spent on anything it wasn't intended for.”

Crone said this afternoon that he’s not willing to continue the program if it’s not permanently on the town budget. This fiscal year, $20,000 was allotted to Cops for Kids after not being in the budget in recent years.