Two Oakville residents have been charged with felony theft after allegedly taking more than $26,000 from a private booster group for an Oakville Senior High School student club.

Kenneth E. Lange, 67, and Priscilla J. Lange, 58, were charged Sept. 5 with felony stealing, according to St. Louis County Circuit Court records.

Kenneth Lange was treasurer and Priscilla Lange was secretary of the TREND Boosters Organization. The group raises money to support expenses for students in the TREND club, which promotes alcohol-free and drug-free lifestyles.

Police and court documents said a total of $26,386.97 was taken from April 2005 to May of this year. The couple allegedly wrote 45 unauthorized checks, according to police.

Kenneth Lange is charged with stealing $500 or more, a Class C felony. Priscilla Lange is charged with stealing more than $25,000, a Class B felony.

Mehlville Superintendent Terry Noble emphasized Friday that the boosters group is not an official part of the school district and that it is a private group of community members interested in helping Oakville students.

“These are not school funds,” Noble said. “These are not funds that were raised by our students in the club itself. We have numerous parent clubs and organizations throughout our school district that do fund-raising and then donate to various groups in our schools for a variety of causes.”