Neilton woman gets 90 days for Quinault School District theft

Must also pay nearly $150,000 restitution to state, school district, insurer

Inga Marie Miller of Neilton was sentenced to 90 days in jail and ordered to pay more than $150,000 in restitution after she pleaded guilty last month to first-degree theft, according to Grays Harbor County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda.

The State Auditor’s Office was contacted by the chief financial officer of the Quinault Lake School District in early 2015, alleging it was discovered about $150,000 in funds were misappropriated from district credit cards. According to the auditor’s report, which identified Miller as “Sue,” Miller had been working for the district since 1977, when she was a bus driver.

She rose to the role of accounts payable secretary in 2005, which put her in charge of district credit cards and petty cash. In late 2014, one of the district credit cards was declined during a purchase and an investigation ensued. In the end, the Auditor’s Office investigation determined Miller had purchased about $10,600 in pet supplies, vacations, clothing, shoes, perfume and cosmetic services. It also appeared she purchased a $1,000 television and $3,000 French door refrigerator.

Miller pleaded guilty Jan. 8. Miller started serving the 90-day sentence immediately after the sentence was read Monday morning by Superior Court Judge David Edwards, according to court documents.

Svoboda said restitution includes $2,500 to the Lake Quinault School District. “This is the deductible paid by the school district to its insurance company,” she added.

Miller must also pay for the cost of the investigation, said Svoboda, to the tune of $12,742.31 to the State Auditor’s Office. The bulk of the restitution, $118,871, is due to Clear Risk Solutions, the school district’s insurer.