Clark County Library Board official arrested after allegedly embezzling up to $50,000
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DUBOIS – A member of the Clark County Library Board was arrested after she allegedly embezzled up to $50,000 from the library bank account.
Amanda Baker was charged with felony grand theft on Aug. 24 after allegedly confessing the crime to the county sheriff.
According to court documents, Baker has been the Clark County Library treasurer for five years.
She also sits on the Clark County School District 161 Board of Trustees according to district’s website as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Court documents show on Aug. 23, Clark County Sheriff Mark McClure told a deputy with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office of a possible case of theft or fraud that had been reported the night before.
McClure told the deputy the Clark County Library Board contracted a roofer to put a new roof on the library. When the roof was finished, the workers were told that Baker, the Clark County Library treasurer, would mail them a check for $23,900. But as of Aug. 7, the check had yet to arrive.
The roofer then contacted Baker, who reportedly said the check was mailed by certified mail and was still in transit.
Later, Baker told the roofer that the check “had been cashed in California, and it was going to take the bank 30 to 45 days to investigate and return the funds to the library,” according to court documents.
On Aug. 23, the deputy and sheriff met with several Clark County Library Board members, including Baker. Officials requested statements from all members and the payment tracking information with proof of payment from Baker.
Around 3:50 p.m. the same day, Baker reportedly went to the the sheriff’s office and requested to speak privately with McClure.
After the interview, the sheriff told the deputy that Baker admitted to misappropriating library funds.
According to McClure, Baker said it “started with small amounts of less than $100, then it was just easy.”
Baker allegedly said she had been transferring money from the library account to her personal checking account and using the library debit card to withdraw money from ATMs.
She had also allegedly been paying personal bills directly with the library debit card.
When asked by the sheriff how long this had been going on, Baker reportedly stated between four and five years.
She was then asked how much money she had taken in total, to which she replied, “I’m not sure, maybe $40,000 to $50,000,” according to the police report.
The sheriff asked why she had been embezzling the money. Baker replied she “was just trying to survive” but could not elaborate when asked.
When asked about the check that was sent to the roofers, Baker admitted she never wrote it because there was not enough money to cover it.
According to court documents, “(Baker) stated, ‘I want to be clear I didn’t cash a check for $23,900.'”
When asked about the check being cashed in California, Baker said it was a lie she told to buy time and that she was hoping the library would receive enough from the second-round county tax deposit to cover the check to the roofers.
Baker then turned over all library-owned items and bank records, along with a bank card in her name and a check to her personal account.
After speaking with the Clark County Library Board members, the deputy viewed the library bank account online through the bank’s portal.
According to court documents, there were 35 withdrawal transactions from the savings account that “look to be of a personal nature, including payments to a credit card company, PayPal transfers, and transfers to a personal checking account in (Baker’s) name.”
Of the 35 transactions, 15 were $1,000 or above and transferred to Baker’s private account.
These transactions started on Jan. 25, 2023, and continued to Aug. 30, 2023.
At around 4:30 p.m., Baker was booked into the Clark County Jail. On Thursday, her bond was set to $5,000, but she was later released on her own recognizance.
According to the order for release, Baker must check in with the jail in person every morning at a specific time. If she fails to, she could face going back to jail.
Baker is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 5. If convicted, she could face up to 14 years in prison.
Though Baker has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean she committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to the president of the Clark County Library Board, Connie Barg, who provided a short statement.
“It is under investigation and we have no further comment,” said Barg.
We also contacted the Clark County District Library, the Clark County school board, and Baker for a statement but have not received any responses.