Wife of former WSP official pleads guilty to theft
The wife of a former high-ranking Washington State Patrol official pleaded guilty Thursday to nine counts of theft and was sentenced to three months of home confinement.
Sally D. Dubee, 52, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree theft and eight counts of second-degree theft before Spokane Superior Court Judge Linda Tompkins.
In addition, Dubee was ordered to pay the owners of Spokane Yamaha, her former employer, $41,967.95. Defense attorney Terence Ryan said Dubee would pay the full restitution Thursday afternoon. Ryan declined to comment about how Dubee planned to pay the entire balance.
Prosecutors charged Dubee with 51 counts of theft for embezzling money from Spokane Yamaha, located at 12926 E. Indiana Ave. Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Collins said prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining 42 counts against Dubee in exchange for her guilty plea.
With no prior criminal history, Dubee qualified for a first-time offender sentencing option, which spared her a possible sentence of five to 10 years.
Prosecutors don’t believe that Mike Dubee, who retired from the WSP after 28 years of service last year, had any knowledge that his wife transferred more than $20,000 to her daughter and son-in-law, according to court papers.
Mike Dubee used to head the WSP’s District 4 office in Spokane. The district, which encompasses most of northeastern Washington, is one of eight districts in the state.
Spokane Yamaha co-owner Carol Snyder read from a prepared statement about the impact Dubee’s criminal activity had on her and her family, both personally and financially.
Snyder at one point said she suspected another employee of hers was engaged in wrongdoing, a person she eventually fired. Later, it turned out that Dubee was the person responsible.
“When a friend betrays you, you will never get over it,” Snyder told Tompkins. “Sally is a believable liar.”
Snyder also is pursuing a civil suit against Dubee for her actions.
Prosecutors say business records show a trail of missing money dating from May 31, 2001, to May 14, 2002. The investigation revealed money was missing from many of the days Dubee worked or prepared bank deposits for the business, say court records. Other financial documents were taken to conceal the thefts, say prosecutors.
After Yamaha owners contacted the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation showed Dubee made numerous cash deposits and check deposits into the account of her daughter and son-in-law, Shannon and Scott Russell, who were never identified as suspects, court records say.