A man accused of stealing money donated to the family of an injured boy will be back in court Friday after a judge rejected a plea deal last week.

Steven Lee Tanner, 37, of 14 Kayla Drive, was charged with felony theft by taking. He is accused of stealing funds that were to be set aside for Cade Maynor and his family.

Cade was severely injured when he was hit by a falling tree while swimming in Silver Creek. Tanner was with Cade when the tree fell on him on June 17, 2011.

He told the Rome News-Tribune he tried to get Cade out of the way when he heard the tree crack. 

Tanner later led fund­raising efforts, telling the Rome News-Tribune at one point that $4,800 had been raised at a car wash benefit.

But police said Tanner took the money for himself. He was arrested last July and released on $6,150 bail.

District Attorney Leigh Patterson did not have specifics of the proposed plea agreement that was rejected by Judge Jack Niedrach last Friday.

Tanner is expected to be back in Niedrach’s courtroom this Friday morning. If a plea deal is not reached, the case will be put on the trial calendar.

Cade was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the accident and is still undergoing therapy. In May, he walked step by step in specialized leg braces at his graduation from Pepperell Primary School using arm and abdominal muscles he had developed in therapy.

Link to the story about Tanner's arrest