No charges will be filed by the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office with regards to an embezzlement investigation within the food assistance nonprofit Manzanita Outreach, according to the Cottonwood Police Department.

Potential financial mismanagement came to Manzanita’s attention in October 2024, and on Nov. 2, 2024, its board voted to remove its executive director, Benjamin Dean Burke, as the organization’s statutory agent. On Nov. 25, Manzanita issued a statement saying it had filed a complaint with law enforcement. Burke left the organization, and Grants Manager Kate Morrill was named interim executive director, eventually becoming the permanent head.

“The Yavapai County Attorney’s Office, due to legal and ethical obligations this office can not comment on this matter,” YCAO spokeswoman Kristy Matheson-Parks wrote.