By Jessie Stensland / South Whidbey Record
A former bookkeeper is suspected of stealing well over $250,000 from a Langley business over a three-year period, according to court documents.
Prosecutors charged South Whidbey resident Shannon L. Brown, 32, in Island County Superior Court on July 23 with first-degree theft and six counts of second-degree theft.
The count of first-degree theft was charged with a special allegation of a major economic offense, which could mean a sentence beyond the 17- to 22-month standard range if she’s convicted.
Brown is accused of stealing from her employer, Artisan Crafted, from 2014 to 2016, court records indicate.
Last November, one of the owners of the business reported to police that Brown had made $50,000 in unauthorized charges on the company credit card, according to the police report.
Brown allegedly used the credit card to purchase airline tickets, propane and items off e-commerce websites Amazon and Etsy, the report states.
Brown told an investigator that one of the owners had authorized the purchases.
In January, the business owner contacted the police again and reported that the new bookkeeper discovered that Brown had also made unauthorized deposits totaling about $215,000 into accounts associated with her name, the police report states.
Court documents state that Brown’s husband, Andrew Mathis, was arrested in March for encouraging her to commit suicide by shoving pills into her mouth and then locking her out of the house; he eventually drove her to a friend’s house and the friend took her to the ER, the police report states.
Brown allegedly told an officer that she stole the money to buy drugs for her husband so that he would stay high and not abuse her, court documents state.
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