Former city clerk faces prison term

SANDPOINT — A former assistant clerk of the city of Clark Fork who pleaded guilty to stealing public funds could be headed to prison for allegedly violating the terms of her probation.

Sandra Jaan Brockus became the subject of a $50,000 arrest warrant in 2011, roughly two years after she pleaded to the felony offense, 1st District Court records indicate. Brockus was accused of absconding from supervision while living in Arizona and failing to complete her community service or finish paying restitution.

Brockus’s defense counsel, Sandpoint attorney Michael Waldrup, denies his client committed the alleged violations, according to court documents.

Brockus, 45, made an initial appearance in Bonner County Magistrate Court via videoconferencing with the Bonner County Jail on Thursday. She advised the court that she had finished paying off her restitution, court records said.

A hearing on the alleged probation violations is set for Sept. 19.

Brockus was accused of pocketing utility payments on four separate occasions in the fall and summer of 2008. City officials captured the misconduct on a video surveillance system.

Brockus was charged with two counts of misuse of public funds, a felony. In an agreement with the state, one of the counts was dismissed in exchange for an admission of guilt.

Brockus was placed on probation for three years and ordered to serve 30 days in jail as a condition of probation. She was also ordered to complete 300 hours of community service, pay $1,469 in restitution and fined $500.

Brockus eventually relocated to Arizona and was allowed to complete her probation there, but she fell off the radar of corrections officials. She could not be found at her residence in Chandler and her employer told corrections officials that she had not worked at the cafe in more than a year, court documents indicate.

Idaho Department of Correction officials are recommending Brockus be imprisoned.

“It is of immediate concern that Ms. Brockus has also failed to make payments to her victims in this matter,” Catherine Gates, IDOC’s Interstate Compact Program manager, said in the notice of violation.