State audit: more than $16K stolen from fairgrounds

MOSES LAKE - Grant County Fairgrounds Director Jerry Gingrich said he has made changes to how employees manage cash and who has access to a safe after an employee allegedly stole $16,382 in cash from the fairgrounds last year.

A report issued on Tuesday from the state auditor's office also states $1,127 was missing from credit card transactions. The fair is publicly funded, meaning the stolen money comes directly from taxpayers.

Gingrich said he is negotiating with an insurance company to get 60 to 70 percent of the stolen money back into the county's coffers.

Gingrich and county officials would not name the former employee whom they suspect of stealing the money because more than one employee had access to the safe.

Gingrich said Stacy Jones, who was the previous office coordinator, was fired for lying on her application and is currently in Washington Corrections Center for Women on unrelated charges.

Jones used her maiden name and lied about working under a different name on her job application, Gingrich said. Jones handled petty cash and had access to the office safe, he said.

Gingrich said the county would not pursue criminal charges against Jones because it would cost more than $17,000 to pay for her transport, lodging and criminal defense attorney fees.

According to an audit, in 2013 the fairground had control weaknesses including depositing cash, which employees have safe access and reporting and oversight flaws.

The audit recommended the fair separate the positions of cash receipt monitor and bank deposit preparer, record payments to event hosting in daily reconciliation forms, include an independent review of the accounting system and limit access to the office safe.

Grant County officials responded to the audit by stating they made the requested changes and increased the level of scrutiny of pre-employment background checks. He said only he and the office manager would have access to the safe and the combination would be changed quarterly or when an employee is fired or quits.

Gingrich said the changes would make it more difficult for a current or future employee to steal from the fairgrounds by increasing oversight and limiting safe access.