Embezzler arrested for avoiding jail sentence

SANDPOINT — A Priest River woman convicted of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from her former employer was arrested Tuesday for failing to serve her jail sentence.
Judge Debra Heise ordered Nicole Jody Lynn Love held without bail pending a hearing on her sentence compliance, which is set for April 4 1st District Court.
Love pleaded guilty to grand theft for embezzling from CityServiceValcon in 2010. She committed the thefts while employed as the fuel distributor’s assistant manager of its Oldtown branch.
The case plodded toward trial and was briefly held up by Love’s claims that an unidentified benefactor was willing to pay restitution in the case, but the financial savior never materialized.
District Judge Steve Verby sentenced Love last September. The court mostly hewed to the recommendations contained in a plea agreement in the case.
Love, 36, was sentenced to up to five years in prison, but the term was suspended and she was ordered to serve 30 days in jail.
“The prosecution gave you a break,” Verby observed at sentencing.
Although Love was accused of stealing as much as $46,000, she was ultimately ordered to pay only $25,000 in restitution.
The court granted a defense request that Love be allowed to serve her custodial sentence over a series of weekends because she had a newborn child that had health issues.
But Bonner County Jail officials advised the court that Love failed to report to the facility to serve the sentence, court records show. Verby issued a warrant for Love’s arrest in January.
Love was summoned to court when the charges were filed in 2010 and she was released on her own recognizance while her case was pending. Tuesday marked the first day behind bars Love has served.