PORT ANGELES – A special state audit of the Clallam County Treasurer’s Office that began June 4 will take at least three more weeks and could stretch into mid-July.
The audit is being conducted in connection with the alleged theft of more than $1,500 in public money by an office employee.
“A month is not a long time at all,” Kara Klotz, a spokeswoman with the state Auditor’s Office, said Tuesday.
“I’m not even saying it will be done in a month,” Klotz added, calling the July time line “an educated guess.”
“There’s an entrance conference, data gathering, reviewing, meetings, conferences, exit conferences. It takes time to do all that work.”
Criminal investigation
County Sheriff Bill Benedict said Tuesday that the Auditor’s Office told him the agency’s report would be issued this week, allowing his office and the Port Angeles Police Department to conduct a criminal investigation into the matter.
The Port Angeles Police Department is the lead agency for the criminal investigation.
“When we get the report, the investigation will resume,” Benedict said.
“We expected to get the figure this week on how much money is actually missing.”
A month delay “means this thing is going to fester another month,” he added.
“I prefer to have it all out there.”
Authorities are saying only that at least $1,500 was stolen, the minimum amount required for a charge of felony first-degree theft.
Benedict said Monday the amount stolen “is solid in the felony area.”
The employee suspected of embezzling the money was placed on administrative leave May 20, a day after Treasurer Judy Scott said she discovered record-keeping anomalies.
That leave is unpaid, county Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said Tuesday.
He refused to divulge how much the employee earns.
Officials also are not releasing the name of the employee and have declined to give even a ballpark figure on how much was stolen.
All six employees in the Treasurer’s Office are women.
Nichols said if the person or people responsible for the theft plead guilty or are found guilty, restitution likely would be required.
“They could not be ordered to pay restitution,” Nichols said. “I can’t think of a circumstance where that would happen, but it’s possible.”
The state Attorney General’s Office will decide whether criminal charges are warranted once the special audit and criminal investigation are done.
________
Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
