The La Pine Little League official and umpire accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the South Central Little League made his first appearance in Deschutes County Circuit Court Thursday morning.

Casey K. Zampelli, 44, has been out of custody since the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office sent him a letter in July notifying him of the eight felony charges against him. He’s facing four counts of first-degree theft and four of fraudulent use of a credit card.

Zampelli was president of the South Central Little League from September 2016 to March 31. He’s also volunteered for years as a league official and umpire for other youth sports associations in the area.

Zampelli is accused of skimming at least $4,000 from donations and registration fees to the South Central Little League for his personal use, according to the Deschutes District Attorney’s Office. The alleged offenses came to light after the league hired a treasurer, who noticed irregularities.

Zampelli has retained Bend defense attorney Shelby Thomas.

Thomas recently submitted paperwork with the court for Zampelli to attend training sessions related to his employment this weekend in Oroville, Calif.