Former Gold Bar worker accused of sabotaging wells

Published 9:34 pm Sunday, February 8, 2009

GOLD BAR — A former city employee is accused of using a city credit card to fill his gas tank with hundreds of dollars worth of fuel and then sabotaging the city’s wells after he was placed on leave.

Snohomish County District Court prosecutors have received the case from police and are reviewing the allegations for possible charges.

The city already fired the 42-year-old Duvall man, and paid him a month’s salary, about $3,700, to drop any future legal claims against the city.

“It was a very difficult decision for the council and myself,” Mayor Crystal Hill said. “We want truth, justice and the American way, but when you consider the cost of litigation, time and money to defend even a baseless lawsuit, we felt it was better to have this matter off our plate.”

The city’s allegations aren’t true, the former employee said. The Herald is withholding the man’s name pending charges.

City officials were looking for a reason to end his lucrative contract, he said. The increased charges on the gas card are because his job required him to drive many miles on city business. He never filled his own vehicle’s tank using a city credit card, he said.

The water shut-off was part of routine maintenance, he said.

“They didn’t have to disgrace me like this,” he said. “After all the good things I contributed, it hurts.”

The city paid two lawyers about $10,000 to deal with the matter. As part of the settlement agreement, the man’s lawyer also received $3,700, paid for by the city’s insurance carrier.

In June, the mayor contacted the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office after city employees noticed a spike in gasoline bills. The extra charges were limited to one city credit card and many of the charges were for a station in Duvall. As much as $800 over two years may have been spent, she said.

City records indicate one person had access to the credit card. The dates and times on credit card receipts matched times the employee wasn’t in the office, she said. City officials then learned the employee lied about attending at least one meeting during that time frame, she said.

The city placed the employee on administrative leave July 1. The next day, another employee discovered two of the city’s wells weren’t operating. Someone turned off all the valves in the pump house and an alarm also had been shut off, according to a letter from the city.

The company that fixed one well said it “appeared to be an act of deliberate sabotage,” the letter stated.

The city’s water levels dipped but that appears to be the only effect, Hill said. The Department of Health was contacted after officials realized the wells had been shut off. City water customers weren’t informed of the incident.

City records, required to be maintained on site, also can’t be found, she said. The city had to actively engage in negotiations to prevent as assessment of penalties from the Department of Health.

A resident of Gold Bar, concerned the city had paid money to a fired employee, requested public documents that detail accusations and forwarded them to The Herald.

The city has since tightened policies on how its four employees use the credit cards, Hill said. The city also is cross-training employees so no single person has exclusive knowledge of one system.

Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.