PORT ANGELES — Convicted thief Staci Allison was released from prison this week pending her appeal of a three-year sentence for stealing $8,644 from the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office evidence room while she was the evidence room technician.
Superior Court Judge Ken Williams on Dec. 15 had sentenced Allison, 41, to concurrent terms of three years for first-degree theft and six months for money laundering for stealing the money from evidence bags between 2003 and 2006.
Before staying Allison’s sentence, Williams heard arguments from Assistant State Attorney General Scott Marlow and Port Angeles attorney Ralph Anderson before ordering Allison’s release from the Washington Corrections Center for Woman at Purdy.
Allison, of Montesano, was released on $10,000 bail Tuesday.
An eight-man, four-woman jury found Allison guilty Oct. 21, also deciding she committed a major economic offense, which made her eligible for a maximum of 10 years rather than six years.
Anderson argued in his written motion for the stay of sentencing that the circumstances surrounding Allison’s crimes and her behavior did not meet the legal requirements for keeping her in prison pending appeal.
Anderson said Allison was not likely to flee and argued that staying the sentence will not “unduly diminish the deterrent effect of the punishment.”
“Purdy will still be there when this appeal is concluded and the term of the sentence will remain the same unless modified for reasons not likely to appear or apparent now,” he said.
Nor will the stay “cause unreasonable trauma to victims of the crimes or their families,” Anderson said.
“No victims spoke at sentencing, and in fact the victim is the state, and not any particular individuals,” Anderson said.
“This is not a sex crime, a crime of violence or a crime against persons. It is purely an economic crime against the state.”
Marlow argued that releasing Allison would diminish the sentence’s deterrent effect, noting the crimes were discovered in November 2006.
Allison was arrested in December 2006.
Investigators discovered $51,251 missing from the evidence room, but Allison was linked to only $8,644.
“The notion that punishment follows wrong behavior is a bedrock principle in our society,” Marlow wrote in his response to Anderson’s motion.
“The fact is that this case, because of its nature as another incident of public corruption, has been and is being watched by the people of Clallam County and beyond.”
Marlow successfully prosecuted former Clallam County Treasurer’s Office Cashier Catherine Betts, who in August was sentenced to 12 years for stealing between $617,467 and $795,595 in real estate excise tax proceeds between June 2003 and May 2009.
Authorities have said the thefts by Betts and Allison are not connected, but they have one thing in common: The stolen money in both cases has never been recovered.
Marlow and Anderson did not return calls for comment Wednesday morning.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
