Thousands of dollars in unauthorized transactions attributed to Mossy city clerk

2016.0627.d.santiago8669

Doneia A. Santiago is represented by private defense attorney Don Blair in Lewis County Superior Court this afternoon.

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – Court documents in the case of the Mossyrock official arrested for theft from the city accounts indicate Clerk-Treasurer Doneia A. Santiago approached the mayor to tell him her husband inadvertently used the city credit card to make an approximately $3,600 payment to Central Mortgage.

Charging documents state Mayor Tom Meade questioned two ATM withdrawals during May for $100 and $200 by Santiago and then use of the city bank card to purchase fuel for her personal vehicle.

The total loss going back to January 2014 is $7,730.45, according to  prosecutors.

The mayor and the police chief met a week ago about the issue. Santiago has been placed on administrative leave.

She was arrested yesterday afternoon and booked into the Lewis County Jail. The 53-year-old Salkum woman was charged today in Lewis County Superior Court with first-degree theft.

She was handcuffed and outfitted in green jail garb when she appeared before a judge. Santiago is represented by Centralia attorney Don Blair.

The afternoon hearing focused on how much bail she should be required to post to be released pending a trial.

Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Melissa Bohm asked for $10,000, saying she was concerned Santiago and her husband might leave the country.

Blair told the judge his client is a lifelong Lewis County resident who’s lived at her current address at least nine years and had no intention of traveling anywhere. He indicated frustration with his attempts late last week to contact the police chief so she could turn herself in.

Judge Richard Brosey decided she could be released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.

The community of some 750 people employs just a very small number of people at city hall. Santiago worked as the city clerk and city treasurer.

The most recent year for which documents were readily available shows the city took in revenues of approximately $762,000 in 2014. The mayor hasn’t yet responded to requests for comment.

The Morton Police Department, which handles law enforcement services for the small central Lewis County city, conducted the investigation.

First-degree theft involves amounts in excess of $5,000.

Charging documents include the following information and allegations:

Santiago told the mayor the accidental payment on May 19 to the mortgage company was done by her husband and she wanted to repay the city. Police Chief Roger Morningstar contacted Security State Bank and was told Santiago’s explanation was incorrect, as the transaction was of the type requiring account and routing numbers to be manually entered into a computer system.

Santiago later said she didn’t have the $3,657.24 to pay back.

She also said the ATM withdrawals were her way of reimbursing herself for purchases she had made for the city. The mayor said the transactions were not permitted.

Mayor Meade also had concerns about the city’s Shell credit card and Santiago told him there were only about $600 of charges over the previous three years.

The police chief requested a copy of a video from the Mossy Mini from June 15, showing Santiago using the city card to buy fuel for her own vehicle.

The police chief obtained statements from Shell and found $1,448.48 in unauthorized transactions between January 2014 and February 2015. They also showed $2,626.73 from June 2015 to June 2016.

Santiago’s arraignment is scheduled for the morning of July 7.
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For background, read “Mossyrock city official jailed for alleged theft” from Monday June 27, 2016, here

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24 Responses to “Thousands of dollars in unauthorized transactions attributed to Mossy city clerk”

  1. Peabody Slim says:

    Never trust a public official, the power goes to their heads…Look at Hil-Liar-y Clinton.

  2. King Gringo says:

    God love you, Slim, I have no doubt of your sincerity (and the FAN site IS useful), but you do tend to work the fluoride angle into these threads even when fluoride has nothing to do with the story.

    Back on topic: There WAS a hearing set for this (THU) morning, but arraignment hearings mostly involve defendants entering a plea, bail being set (when applicable) and a preliminary hearing date being scheduled…in other words, they’re usually “pro forma” and pretty boring.

  3. Peabody Slim says:

    I feel the Global Tension, It’s coming to a boil.

  4. Wall Flower says:

    I believe there is a hearing on this matter tomorrow. It will be interesting to see this story unfold. I am sure there is a lot more to it. Reading through the comments shows me her hands were in several different funds. Some of you are defending her which completely boggles the mind. How could anyone see her two year history of stealing and not be livid that tax dollars went to this thief.

  5. 2BOrrNot2B says:

    Which is crazier, government using chemicals to control populations (many examples of this throughout history),

    OR

    The government cares so much about people’s teeth that they graciously spend millions to keep them from getting cavities (very few examples throughout history)

    ????

    And, if the government is so concerned for oral health, then why don’t they regulate candy, tobacco, and coffee so that people’s teeth don’t get cavities from them in case they don’t drink a lot of municipal water?

  6. Peabody Slim says:

    King King Gringo my obsession is protecting fellow human beings from the Evil Government and their soft kill Neuro Toxin that they dump in our water supply. Just go to Fluoride Alert .org if you’re IQ has not been affected yet.

  7. Dr Gringo says:

    Fluoride has been Slim’s obsession here since he used another handle for posting, Ray. The government is using it to turn us all into compliant zombies…cheaper than saltpeter and better for controlling population growth.

    I HAVE wondered how Scarsella Brothers gets every major road contract here too, Slim. Looks like someone at Scarsella knows someone at WSDOT, but that’s another conspiracy theory for another thread.

  8. Ray says:

    The City of Mossyrock does not add Flouride to it’s water supply, so that rant belongs to Centralia/Chehalis – not Mossyrock.

  9. Spoofs says:

    Piece of white trash isn’t even from mossyrock. I’ve never even heard of these people. Appearatly it’s easy to move into town run for city office and build stupid parks nobody wants and pass stupid water laws and annex crime ridden trailer parks into the city limits. Keep the trash out. Just say no to anything the city proposes because these numbskulls are morons!!Dont let the bread munchers ruin your city. Prominent families around town are too busy watching sports on tv and drinking beer to be civicly minded – look what happens! Wake up!

  10. Peabody Slim says:

    Tax Feeders, they smoke in city vehicles lowering the resale value of the tax payers property. They have private agendas like hiring Scarsella Bros for every freeway project thats pure agenda 21. Also the city officials are poisioning you with their toxic drug Fluoride. This Fluoride product has skull and bones on the bag and it attacks your’re Thyroid, causes bone cancer and lowers you’re IQ. These criminal city officials are killing you and you’re family with this industrial waste drug product. The local Sheriff allows the Water supply to be drugged with a drug without you’re permission nor a individual prescription for each citizen their drugging. How is it legal to add drugs to the water for each person without their consent. Mean while local law enforcement allows their citizens to be drugged and slow killed. Since the city adds drugs to the water without your permission it must be OK for anyone to drug someone else without their consent. These are true statements people you’re local city water drpartment is killing You’re children and lowering their IQ all in the name of they care about your teeth. Stand up Chehalis and Centralia, get the criminals out of our city halls or enf up homeless and sick in your own community.

  11. Ray says:

    Mayor Maynot is not only delusional, but needs to go back to school and take an English class or two. As for some of the other inaccurate comments made, Doneia has never done the billing for water and sewer – it’s not the Clerk/Treasurer’s job, it’s the deputy clerks’…once again misinformation being spewed about by every chatty Cathy with nothing better to do.

  12. mossy rock res.. says:

    the books never got checked because the mayor didnt do his job..or the council come on mossyrock..

  13. cindy says:

    Why is one sole employee have access to a bank card and gas card?????Why didn’t her books get checked once a month?It’s too bad people get greedy and steal from there job.

  14. mossy rock res.. says:

    i agree with lewis county makes its own rule…mayor maynot kind of sounds like her or her husband…who cares what good she did she had her hand in everything…maybe they can retrain her in prison to clean toilets..its gotten deep now..

  15. Karen Grabhorn says:

    Typical in Mossyrock …

  16. Lewiscountymakesitsownrules says:

    Just another blue color criminal stealing from the city and the people. She needs to jump the hoops just like every other criminal. Lets not sugar coat this shit Mayor Maynot, really doesnt matter what good any other law breaker does do, so it really doesnt matter what good this theif has done either. A theif is a theif is a theif. A drug is a drug is a drug, you get my drift?

  17. mossy rock res.. says:

    she’s a crook, theif, low life…the mayor and council have to approve these bills monthly at meetings, and sign off we need a new mayor that actually works i blame him and council too.. …maybe he should go into the office once in a while..i say she gets treated like everyone else throw her in jail and toss the key..i bet theres more taken then everyone see’s, maybe the lumber at the park and cash she handled at the beer garden..and all the late fees she tacked on to our water bills..she knows how to fudge the books..

  18. Teri Thomas says:

    It’s amazing….When I paid in water/sewer bill in full my next bill would have late fees and be even higher. Now I know why I was paying so much. I bet there is no more transactions. I bet she was taking what people were paying for their water/sewer and then charging more on the next bill. It’s amazing one summer I had filled a 5ft pool 3x and never paid over 90.00 for my water…..the following year no pool to fill however my bill always seemed to be 175.00 and up. When I would complain it was “you must have a leak” my landlord would check no leak. Can’t trust anyone anymore. She appeared to be a nice lady,respectful citizen…guess not. I am glad to be out of that town.

  19. BleeBloo says:

    She’ll have her day in court, but I wonder if there are other suspicious transactions they just haven’t found yet.

  20. Mayor Maynot says:

    I’m not really confident that this story has anymore to unfold than what is presented here. I would like to point out that there was no mention made of the person whom she replaced in one capacity who was incredibly fleet of foot when the last city she worked for in a similar capacity was trying to find some of its money and mossyrock was left to try and provide me with a better explination of the absolute nonsense mismanaged near incomprehansible bullshit it was representing as true and accurate billing for water and sewer. After spending a number of years auditing cell phone bills as a finacial services rep. (The people you talk to when you have to call three times to get someone on the phone that knows what the hell your talking about and not just hear a “would you like to supersize that” pitch. Incredibly data intensive, anyway it took going through several customers bills spanning over two years in order to even conclude that the billing MAY be accurate in its final figures but the rest of the data seemed to be just put into any random category or on any bill. She who shall not be named I gathered as i approached a two hour call with city hall armed with conjecture and a little bit of facts, before doniea came, had figured out a way to make the actual whereabouts of any real balance at any given moment within a three month period constructed from a billing system which took a two month arears cycle and tacked on to the cycle just ahead of said 2month arears cycle, the overages and fees attributed to a conpleatly different cycle, and then there was the late fee and reconnection fee non policy of standard application.
    If it aounds like giberish thats because it wasn it was bullshit smokescreen for being able to use the utility as a 90 payday loan place and when shit got hot with the last town and mossyrock didn’t seem to have the need for an entire police force with active cases open in distric court themselves she left a huge mess. She didnt evem have the city set up to show that it currently, previously or EVER even presented all customers with the information on what the charges were comprised of and how they could check the math themselves. Such as what measuring system was used to caculated what wss an overage, what those units were, and any charge after that, not that the tri monthly meter readings were not shoving that information fro. The real of murkey chance of understanding to no fucking way.
    Doneia straightened all that crap out and almost the next day had compiled the information previously not available to the public and realeased it on mossyrocks website for all to see. I also see her doing all types of shit above and beyond her title. Mistakes were made, rules and laws broken yes. This is not some sort of underhanded crook that was working against us though by any means. Just a serious of bad desiscions to follow up a mistake or two.

    Another person that doesnt need to be taking up bedspace where rapists,murderers, and all other manor of fuckery manufacturors can stay. She can pay us back, maybe smiths is hiring.

  21. Concerned Citizen says:

    There are many check and balances. How she did it i dont know but i do know for a fact that Mayor Meade had security measures in place as required. I respect Mayor Meade for immediately reporting. I am sure that was a very difficult thing to do but he cares very much for the City of Mossyrock.

  22. Mad momma says:

    Very sad to see this, I knew her dad. He was a hard working fine man.

  23. BobbyinLC says:

    Let’s see. Can you say oversight? Does no one have checks and balances? I am sure it started as just taking a little with the intent to pay it back and then snowballed. Do not give one person total access to credit/atm cards for a business, government agency or non-profit organization.

  24. LCCitizen says:

    Totally an accident each time since 2014.

    I had a friend use a company gas card for personal use mamy years ago. $20 worth. And took $40 to management the next day before anyone even knew, and he lost his job and was arrested and paid thousands.