Deputies suspect woman stole wallet off fatal crash victim

Deputies suspect a woman stole a wallet off the body of a fatal motorcycle crash victim and used a debit card from it while law enforcement was still investigating the scene.

Michael Troyer, 69, was traveling down North Argonne Road on his motorcycle Aug. 2 when he collided with a deer and died at the scene, court documents say.

One 911 caller at the accident said people who stopped to help had started CPR, according to a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Shortly after responders arrived, they could not find a wallet on or near Troyer. They did find a broken chain attached to a belt where his wallet likely had been secured, the records say.

Days later, the motorcyclist’s daughter, a joint user of Troyer’s bank account, told police her father’s card had been used in several transactions from Aug. 2 to Aug. 18 amounting to more than $870, including within an hour after the crash, the release said.

Investigators learned 46-year-old Diane Manns was fraudulently using the deceased man’s card as law enforcement was still investigating the scene of the accident, according to the release.

Manns was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of three counts of second-degree identity theft, second-degree possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine.

Manns told detectives she had used the card, but didn’t realize it was stolen.

She said she could not name the person who gave her the card for fear of retaliation.

Editor’s note: This story was updated September 26 to reflect that a card from the wallet was allegedly used while law enforcement were investigating the fatal crash. An earlier version gave an incorrect timeline of the alleged crime. In addition, the spelling of the suspect’s last name is Manns.