Former city clerk gets 30 days for thefts

SANDPOINT — A former assistant clerk for the city of Clark Fork was ordered Thursday to serve 30 days in jail for pilfering cash from city coffers.

District Judge Steve Verby tripled a recommended 10-day sentence to deter Sandra Jaan Brockus and others placed in a position of trust from committing similar acts. The month-long sentence is also comparable to sentences recently handed down in similar cases.

Brockus wept quietly and dabbed at tears with a tissue during her sentencing hearing in 1st District Court. She declined to make any remarks before the punishment was imposed.

Brockus, a 38-year-old Clark Fork resident, was ordered to pay $1,469.85 in restitution. She was also fined $500, put on probation for three years and ordered to complete 300 hours of community service.

Brockus was charged with two felony counts of misusing public funds while clerking for the city last year. City officials have said a video surveillance system captured images of Brockus pocketing water utility payments, conduct which cost Brockus her job.

Sandpoint attorney Michael Waldrup, Brockus’ defense counsel, said his client was forthcoming when confronted by sheriff’s investigators and is genuinely remorseful for her conduct. He said the thefts occurred against a backdrop of marital strife.

“She was trying to balance that stress with raising a 10-year-old,” Waldrup said.

In a plea agreement with the state, Brockus pleaded guilty to one count in exchange for a dismissal of the other count. The agreement recommended a suspended prison term of two to four years, while fines and jail time were left to the court’s discretion.

Noting the woman’s otherwise blemish-free criminal record, entry into therapy and a solid probation plan, Waldrup urged the court to impose a 10-day sentence.

Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor James Frazier disagreed with defense characterizations of the defendant’s conduct as an anomaly.

“We disagree that this was a spontaneous thing,” said Frazier, pointing out that Brockus committed a number of thefts over period of months.

In prefacing his sentence, Verby said Brockus’ conduct undermined a bedrock societal value — the need for people to be able to trust one another.

 “What took place, in a position of trust, was a very serious crime,” he said.