A volunteer treasurer is facing multiple charges after funds were reported missing from Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston’s riding association. New Glasgow Regional Police began investigating a fraud incident involving a volunteer with the Pictou East Progressive Conservative Association on October 7.
Officers discovered that Tara Amanda Cohoon, 44, had withdrawn funds from the association’s account over several years, specifically from 2016 to 2024. She was arrested at a residence in Pictou County on October 11, during which police seized bank records, cash, and mobile electronic devices.
Cohoon has been charged with several offenses, including:
- Forgery
- Theft over $5,000
- Fraud over $5,000
- Uttering a forged document
Two weeks prior to her arrest, Premier Houston, who has represented the Pictou East Riding since 2013, announced the investigation into the missing funds, expressing feelings of betrayal. “I can’t even begin to explain the incredible level of betrayal that I feel and that my riding executive feels about this matter,” he stated. “I have a wide range of emotions as you can imagine. Of course, I’m angry. I’m sad, I’m hurt but most of all I’m just really devastated for the volunteers for the association who work so hard on behalf of the association and myself.”
Cohoon has been released on bail and is scheduled to appear in Pictou Provincial Court on December 2.