THEFT: Stronger actions required

Let me see if I’ve gotten this story right. One Sheryl L. Carroll, while employed by the Coeur d’Alene City finance department, embezzled $360,000 over a six-year period.

During this time the head of her department was a Mr. Troy Tymesen. We, the great unwashed, now learn that the accounting firm of Magnuson, McHugh and Company failed to discover the embezzlement during this multi-year period and has been on the city payroll since 1999. Today we learn that this same company is to be retained by the city in 2013. Good grief Charlie Brown! Is there no end to this incompetence?

A good friend and an attorney suggested that the city should sue the auditing company for failing to discover this huge monetary loss to the people of Coeur d’Alene. I would further make the following suggestions. Terminate or demote Mr. Tymesen. This action should also be applied to Sheryl Carroll’s immediate supervisor. To recoup the $360,000 the city should cancel any and all out of town trips for whatever purposes by all city department heads until the loss is made up. Got a mental picture of that? It appears to me that Councilman Dan Gookin is the only one in authority that has his head screwed on right.

A further suggestion would be for the city to hire University of Idaho accounting instructor KD Hatheway-Dial on a contractual basis to critique the finance department’s operation and make the necessary recommendations. The city should then follow up with an extensive re-interview of Sheryl Carroll, while in the joint, to find out how she beat the system. She could be rewarded by giving her extra candy bars from the prison canteen. The mayor is quoted in the article as stating that the finance department is “absolutely unbelievable” with Tymesen at its head. Another good grief, if you please. It is particularly gratifying to find that Sheryl had been convicted of embezzling in Bend, Ore., in the 1980s.

In conclusion I would put forth to any would-be embezzler out there, with no arrest record, to make haste to the city of Coeur d’Alene personnel department and submit an application to the finance department. You would almost be assured of pulling off the next great theft for at least five years before being caught. And if that doesn’t work don’t forget to apply to Kootenai County as they had the same problem with County Chief Deputy Clerk Sandy Martinson, who was convicted of stealing $130,000 over 10 years.

And the hits keep rolling on. In the final analysis, term limits are the only hope for the folks.

MICHAEL J. MURPHY

Hayden