PORT ANGELES — The trial of Catherine Betts, who is accused of stealing $617,467 from the Clallam County Treasurer’s Office, has been rescheduled for May 2.
The trial was rescheduled Monday, her last scheduled trial date, after Betts pleaded not guilty to additional charges of money laundering and 19 counts of filing false or fraudulent tax returns with the state Department of Revenue.
She was previously charged with only first-degree theft.
The new charges bump her potential prison time, if proven guilty, to 20 years in prison.
Betts, 46, allegedly stole the funds while working as a cashier at the Clallam County Treasurer’s Office.
A state Auditor’s Office investigation found that the thefts occurred from Feb. 1, 2004, through May 19, 2009.
After the thefts were discovered, then-county Treasurer Judy Scott said she had changed procedures in the office to prevent them from happening again.
Selinda Barkhuis, who started her first term as treasurer this month, said she plans to look into ways to expand the office’s internal controls.
“It’s definitely something I’ll be working on,” she said.
The county approved a $597,516 insurance settlement to cover the missing funds in October. That doesn’t include a $10,000 deductible.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
