A judge ruled that the county commissioners had misspent funds that were intended to fight homelessness. | Stock Photo
A judge ruled that the county commissioners had misspent funds that were intended to fight homelessness. | Stock Photo
The Stevens County prosecutor says that all three county commissioners have been removed from office after a judge ruled that they had misspent approximately $130,000 in funds that were originally allocated to fight homelessness, according to The Spokesman-Review.
The commissioners’ attorney is currently disputing the ruling that they must be ejected from office and says the prosecutor has threatened to have the commissioners arrested if they show up for work.
The dispute left county residents are in a state of confusion as to whether they have a legitimate governing board, and puts into question an upcoming general election, which has two contested county commissioner races on the ballot.
Between 2015 and 2018, Commissioners Steve Parker, Wes McCart and Don Dashiell gave the funds to help a couple whose home was damaged by flooding and two nonprofit organizations that used the funds to build a transitional home for people with spinal cord injuries. In 2019, the state auditor’s office determined that $121,000 of those expenditures were “unallowable gifts” of public funds and Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen filed suit shortly after.
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno issued a summary judgment order stating that the commissioners and the companies that provided their public official bonds are liable for $130,326 in misappropriated homelessness funds. Public official bonds are a type of insurance policy that pays governments up to a fixed amount when officials fail to “faithfully perform” duties.
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