Department of Ecology employee accused of stealing from celebration fund

An environmental specialist with the Washington state Department of Ecology is accused of stealing nearly $17,000 from an employee celebration fund.

Mary N. Lynum, 48, was arrested Feb. 10 and charged with first-degree theft. The Spanaway woman has no prior criminal history and has pleaded not guilty to the charge, according to court documents. A trial is scheduled for the week of May 23.

Lynum was in charge of a voluntary Ecology Social Fund that paid for employee celebrations such as birthdays and retirements. The state had authorized a payroll deduction for employees who wanted to participate.

According to court documents, 220 employees contributed to the fund. In December, employees raised concerns about the fund’s management and the lack of information Lynum was disclosing.

Lynum was the only employee who had access to the account. She provided several excuses when asked for a bank statement, according to documents. In addition, an $80 check was returned for insufficient funds to an employee whom Lynum had reimbursed with the fund.

In a meeting with a fiscal manager at the department, Lynum admitted to using the money in the account for personal expenses and said she intended to pay the money back, according to documents.

An investigation revealed that Lynum took more than $17,000 from the account between October 2015 and February.

During an interview with Lacey police, Lynum said she used the money to pay medical bills for her disabled daughter. Lynum said her wages were being garnished and that she got desperate.

Lynum, a 20-year employee at the department, has been “removed from the office and placed on home assignment,” said Dustin Terpening, senior communications manager.

The department is conducting its own investigation to determine whether Lynum will face any disciplinary action or termination of employment, he said. Terpening noted that the money was stolen from employees, not from the Department of Ecology.

“It was a voluntary fund that employees contributed to,” he said.