Coeur d’Alene fires finance department employee

COEUR d’ALENE — The city of Coeur d’Alene has fired a finance department employee suspected of embezzling city money. City Attorney Mike Gridley told the Coeur d’Alene Press the woman’s termination was effective at 5 p.m. Tuesday after she failed to show up for a personnel meeting with department heads Monday afternoon to address the allegations. The city is not releasing her name. It also declined the newspaper’s request for a copy of the termination letter, saying personnel records are exempt from disclosure without the employee’s permission. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the alleged thefts and will issue a news release if an arrest is made. Gridley said last week the city has confirmed at least five fraudulent transactions that total thousands of dollars.