PORT ANGELES — A Clallam County Treasurer’s Office employee has been placed on administrative leave in the wake of a criminal investigation into the first-degree theft of at least $1,500 in public money.
County Treasurer Judy Scott said Wednesday that the employee, whom she would not name, was placed on leave the afternoon of May 19 pending the outcome of the criminal investigation and a special audit being conducted by the state Auditor’s Office.
The leave is related to the investigation and audit, Scott said.
The audit begins today with three Auditor’s Office investigators interviewing Scott at the county courthouse.
Discovered May 19
On May 19, Scott discovered anomalies in her office’s financial records that led her to believe public money was missing, she said.
Scott had said earlier that she made the discovery on May 20.
The Treasurer’s Office has five employees, not including Scott.
Whether the employee who was put on leave will be paid has not been determined and “depends on what our personnel attorneys say,” Scott said.
Scott said she did not know if Teamsters Local 589, which represents the employee, was involved in making that determination.
Service to the public is not being affected by the criminal investigation, audit, loss of the employee or an ongoing office computer conversion, Scott said.
An estimated $17.9 million in revenue will be processed by the Treasurer’s Office this year.
“I am under a tremendous amount of pressure right now and am doing my best to keep everything flowing,” she said.
“At this point, the staff is very busy.”
Scott and Police Chief Terry Gallagher have refused to comment on how much in public money is missing.
At least $1,500 must be stolen for a charge of first-degree theft, which is punishable by one to 10 years in prison and a maximum $20,000 fine.
State law also allows for felony prosecution of any salaried county employee “who fails to pay to the county treasury all sums that have come into the officer’s hands for fees and charges for the county or by virtue of the officer’s office.”
The penalty is one to three years in prison.
Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
