ABERDEEN, Wash.–A woman has been arrested here on suspicion of theft of more than $350,000 and allegedly setting a fire at the then-Grays Harbor Woodworkers Credit Union — now a branch of Great NorthWest Credit Union – in March of 2016.
According to TheDailyWorld.com, on March 28, 2016, an NCUA auditor made an unannounced visit to the credit union and requested documents as part of an examination. When he returned on March 29, he was told the documents had been destroyed in a fire by the manager of Grays Harbor Woodworkers CU, who was not identified in the report. The woman was the only person in the building at the time of the fire, Aberdeen Police spokesman Kevin Darst was quoted as saying.
Darst added that a subsequent investigation by Aberdeen detectives and the credit union and an audit by an independent accounting firm found that more than $350,000 had been stolen from the institution, and that the branch manager was responsible.
Along with one count of theft in the first degree and arson in the second degree, the woman was also suspected of the theft of $13,000 from another undisclosed local business, according to Darst, TheDailyWorld.com reported.
Aberdeen Police detective David Cox, the Hoquiam Fire Department and Aberdeen Police officers teamed up for the investigation.
In December of 2016 Grays Harbor Woodworkers was merged into Great NorthWest Federal Credit Union.