BRISTOL -- The head of Santa Pal, an annual Christmas program for needy children in the Bristol area, is under police investigation after confessing that he pocketed $75,000 in donations.

Volunteer executive director Jimmie Clark, who has not been charged by police, said in a letter to the organization's board of directors Wednesday that he has been taking money from the charity since 2003.

"I know that I have deceived you all for sometime now and I do ask for your forgiveness," Clark wrote. "I have notified my wife, my parents and my in-laws of this matter and have asked for their forgiveness also."

Clark, 33, of Watauga, Tenn., confirmed in a telephone interview with the Bristol Herald Courier yesterday that he had confessed to police.

"I will not be charged if I make restitution, they told me," he said of police before ending the interview.

Detectives with the Bristol Virginia Police Department have been investigating since Wednesday. They, and Commonwealth's Attorney Jerry Wolfe, have not returned calls for comment.

The program was created in 1927 by Woody Vance, then managing editor of the Bristol Herald Courier. Its mission is to provide gifts and food for children who might not otherwise have a Christmas.

The newspaper stopped overseeing Santa Pal in 1998 but retains close ties with the program.

-- Media General News Service