Dispatcher Charged with Using Funds for Paralyzed Officer

A former Hazelwood dispatcher is charged with gambling away funds raised for an injured police officer.

Forty-year-old April Briscuso was charged Tuesday with felony stealing.

St. Louis County police say Briscuso organized several fundraisers for former officer Craig Tudor, who was paralyzed in a car crash as he responded to a police call.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports court records indicate Briscuso admitted stealing at least $9,500, mostly to gamble at casinos.

Court documents show Tudor and his wife said they didn't receive most of the proceeds from several events hosted in their name.

Briscuso previously told the newspaper she raised more than $75,000 for Tudor and intended to pay him everything she owed him.

Online court records do not name an attorney for Briscuso.