A court hearing this week revealed new information about what led to a felony theft charge against the former president of the Lawrence Art Guild.

The woman allegedly used an Art Guild debit card to pay for preschool, according to court testimony.

Amanda L. Monaghan, 35, of Lawrence is charged with stealing money from the Lawrence Art Guild in April 2014, according to charges filed in Douglas County District Court on Feb. 21 of this year. The charges do not specify the amount allegedly taken, but indicate it was between $1,000 and $25,000.

Monaghan pleaded not guilty Tuesday at a preliminary hearing. Two young children accompanied her to the courtroom.

The Lawrence Art Guild, a nonprofit organization, is known for organizing long-running local events, including Art in the Park and the Holiday Art Fair.

At Tuesday’s hearing Lawrence Police Department Detective Michael Verbanic said Art Guild representatives told police in February 2016 that the organization’s debit cards and bank accounts had been used for personal gain of board members, specifically Monaghan, who was the Art Guild’s president from 2013 until late 2015.

Amanda L. Monaghan

One charge the group believed was made illegally was $1,125 paid to the Lawrence Arts Center on April 9, 2014, Verbanic said. He said that according to the Arts Center the charge was to pay preschool tuition for Monaghan’s child.

Monaghan told him she was the only person she knew of assigned to the card but that she did not make the payment to the Lawrence Arts Center, Verbanic said.

Monaghan’s appointed attorney, Debra Vermillion, asked the judge to dismiss the case due to lack of probable cause.

“He (the detective) has no information on who made that charge,” Vermillion said. “We have a lack of identification.”

Judge Kay Huff said there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to move forward, denied Vermillion’s request and set Monaghan’s trial date for Nov. 8.

Art Guild members dismissed Monaghan and treasurer Pablo Cerca from the organization in January 2016, the Journal-World previously reported.

Members accused leadership, notably Monaghan, of violating bylaws, including failing to hold regular meetings and communicate with members. Members also said they’d discovered missing treasurer’s reports and meeting minutes, an increased use of debit cards, suspicious Pay-Pal purchases and regular and unaccounted-for withdrawals from the guild’s bank account during Monaghan’s leadership.

Just before the meeting where she was removed from office, Monaghan filed an amendment to the Kansas Secretary of State’s office dissolving the Lawrence Art Guild, the Journal-World reported. However, the organization was reinstated in good standing with the state and the IRS in the following weeks.

There are no charges against Cerca in Douglas County District Court.