A Jennings County woman was arrested Wednesday and she turned herself in and is posting a $1,000 bond on charges of Conversion, a Class A Misdemeanor
According to the Harrison County Prosecutor’s office, Amber Tower owes the family of 18-year-old Bryce Gerlach approximately $13,615.93. These were proceeds from a t-shirt fundraiser from her business, Towers Tees that were supposed to go to the Bryce Gerlach Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Gerlach was killed in New Albany’s Harvest Homecoming shooting that injured two others. Following his death, Gerlach’s hometown extended an outpouring of support to his family and friends, even setting up a scholarship fund in his honor.
Tower’s Tees, which prints custom t-shirts, was one of those community members who was supposed to contribute.
Harrison County Prosecutor Otto Schalk has charged Tower with Conversion, a Class A misdemeanor, for “knowingly or intentionally exert unauthorized control over the property of another person.”
Schalk alleges Tower knowingly or intentionally exerted “unauthorized control over the monies owed to the Bryce Gerlach Memorial Scholarship Fund.”
Police have led an investigation into the case for more than two months. The initial tip came from an employee, T.D., at Tower’s Tees.
On March 5, the employee approached the creator of the scholarship fund, D.G., and another individual, H.B., about her concerns that proceeds from the business collected for merchandise in Gerlach’s honor were never given to the family or deposited in the scholarship fund.
In fact, the employee told police “Amber told her she never deposited the donated money to the family.”
Harrison County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the claims as a fraud report. The affidavit details far more sales in Gerlach’s memory than just the ‘Blue Out’ game t-shirts.
Investigators went to Facebook piecing together the sales.
Police found six separate posts from October 2024 made by Tower advertising the sale of t-shirts and rubber band bracelets.
One t-shirt reads “Forever in our Hearts.” Another was made for an “orange-out” game. Bracelets had an inscription of “Live Like Bryce.”
At least two posts advertise that “all proceeds are going to the family.”
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