A former Koochiching County jail administrator has been charged with two counts of felony theft alleging he took money from a jail cash fund.
Tim W. Milette, 38, is scheduled to appear Monday in Koochiching County District Court for an initial hearing on two counts of theft of public funds.
Court documents filed Thursday said an investigation by the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office allege a cash draw maintained by the county jail administrator was more than $270 short of its $300 required balance when audited Jan. 13 by county staff.
A call to a telephone number listed for Milette was not in operation.
The report stated the investigator was informed by county staff the drawer that day was not in the dispatch office, where it had typically been kept. After contacting Milette, he told county staff it was kept in his office and it did not contain $300, but instead had about $180, according to the report.
The amount in the drawer, which Milette told staff was kept in a closet in his office, was $27.75 that day and it contained no receipts to account for the remainder of the money, according to the report.
Milette told the investigator he had taken money from the drawer on one occasion after Christmas, according to the report.
The report read, “Milette stated he was not trying to steal the money from the county nor intend to defraud the county. Milette stated it was his intent to replace the money.”
Koochiching County Attorney Jeff Naglosky had no comment Tuesday about the case and said it would be handled by John J. Muhar, Itasca County attorney.
The Itasca County attorney is acting as special assistant prosecutor on the case for Naglosky because he said he believes he has a conflict of interest.
“I have worked closely with jailer Milette and because he is a county employee and the allegations involve his position as a county employee,” Naglosky said of the conflict. “To avoid even the appearance of impropriety, or that he is getting some sort of break he doesn’t deserve, or I am coming down harder on him than he deserved, I asked an independent prosecutor to handle it for me.”
Sheriff Perryn Hedlund also declined comment on the case, but said, “In the best interests of an open and transparent investigation, it was best to refer it to an outside agency.”
Milette’s resignation as the county’s E911/jail administrator was accepted Feb. 3 by the county board, which also authorized Hedlund to fill the vacant position.
From left to right, Dave Farmer, Doug Dault and Steve Blair, members of the North Koochiching Area Sanitary District Board, meet with the International Falls City Council Monday.
An International Falls City Council discussion on an old business item Monday veered into confusing territory, with the council tabling the item indefinitely.
The council met with three representatives of the North Koochiching Area Sanitary District to discuss the district’s donation of $10,000 toward building a new animal shelter for the Borderland Humane Society.
The NKASD Board representatives present, Steve Blair, Doug Dault, and Dave Farmer, said at a January NKASD meeting, the board approved a motion to rescind the $10,000 payment, because some members weren’t sure if the initial payment authorization was legal. The district then requested the city of International Falls reimburse the district for the $10,000 donation it had already made.
In an October 2013 letter NKASD Executive Director Tim “Chopper” McBride sent to the NKASD Board of Directors, he outlined the decision to make the $10,000 expenditure as an “over-stepping” of the executive director’s decision-making powers.
In the letter, McBride wrote “the director did not request formal action by the board to expend funds for the relocation of the animal shelter.” The letter continues “so the issue is not shall or shouldn’t this be part of our 2014 expenditures, it is that the director has without permission involved the district in this endeavor.”
The old animal shelter facility sits on NKASD property near the treatment plant, and is owned by the city of International Falls. The new facility, opened in January and located just west of Menards, is a partnership between the city and the Borderland Humane Society, which operates the facility. It was funded with financial assistance from Koochiching County and local contributors and donors.
According to correspondence between members of the NKASD and International Falls Mayor Bob Anderson, there was also confusion about the nature of the $10,000 donation. Some members said the $10,000 was a donation to the new animal shelter project, while others said the $10,000 was a payment for the old building.
City Administrator Ken Anderson told The Journal Tuesday the city moved forward on the project with the understanding the $10,000 was a donation. There was also no discussion from the city’s perspective that the $10,000 was a payment for the building, and there was no written agreement outlining the transaction.
Now, Anderson said, it’s up to the city officials to determine what they want to do with the old animal shelter building. They can use it for storage, he said, or if they don’t need it, can sell it to the NKASD or put it up for auction. Blair said Monday the building is in good condition, and can be used by whoever needs it.
Following extensive discussion, the council approved a motion to table the reimbursement request indefinitely, and to evaluate the old animal shelter building, to see what they want to do with it.
Ambulance business
In other business, the council approved a motion to adjust the rates charged by the city’s ambulance service.
Fire Chief Adam Mannausau, who also serves as the ambulance service’s chief, said the billing agency the ambulance service uses recommended raising the service’s billing rates, to fall more in line with rates charged in the state.
The service’s rate for basic life support transportation, which is the lowest level of care offered by the service, will be raised from $550 to $900, Mannausau said. The rate for specialty care transportation, which is the highest level of care offered by the service, will be raised from $1,250 to $1,800.
The average billing rate for BLS care in Minnesota is $1,100, Mannausau said, and the average rate for specialty care is $1,900.
“It’s been a while since we’ve raised the rates, and that’s why we’re so far behind,” Councilor Brian Briggs said.
The council also approved the creation of two casual paramedic positions in the International Falls Fire/Rescue/EMS department, and appointed Cara Taschuk and Lisa Mortenson to fill the positions.
Mannausau said he wanted to create the positions so each paramedic could work with an ambulance crew, and cover the full-time paramedics’ days off. They would also be used to alleviate over-time costs, he said, which were “quite large last year.”
Taschuk and Mortenson are currently emergency medical technicians and both have paramedic licenses, but haven’t been able to use their skills enough, Mannausau said.
“They’ve sat stagnant as far as using their paramedic skills for the last three months,” Mannausau said. “I think it’s important to put them to work to use those skills, it is a skill that needs to be refined and used.”
The salary for the positions is the same hourly rate as the full-time paramedics, but won’t include benefits, Mannausau said. Currently, he said, paramedics on the day shift often end up working during the night shift too, so these new positions will help avoid those long hours.
“This should be a safer situation for them, and help alleviate the burnout that follows that,” Mannausau said.
Kids play all over the snow piles on Sand Bay Saturday during the ice fishing derby.
Karl Zirups, foreground, scoops out Zack Zirups' fishing hole during the ice fishing derby Saturday.
Zack Zirups, properly bundled up for the weather, waits for a fish to bite during the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club's Family Ice Fishing Derby and Raffle Saturday.
Cindy Johnson of Bemidji sets up her ice fishing hole during the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club’s Family Ice Fishing Derby and Raffle Saturday on Sand Bay.
Some of the fish houses on Rainy Lake Saturday are outfitted with all the comforts of home, like this house with a satellite dish on the roof for satellite TV.
A temporary settlement sprung up on Rainy Lake Saturday, as anglers flocked to the ice to try to hook the big one.
The Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club’s 30th annual Family Ice Fishing Derby and Raffle Saturday featured plenty of anglers setting up on Sand Bay, drilling holes and erecting houses.
Dave Peterson, chairman of the club’s derby committee, said the Saturday turnout was one of the largest of the last 20 years. The club sold 2,500 tickets, he said, and the Lion’s Club Food Wagon went through 312 sandwiches.
“I never heard one negative comment during the day, it was all positive,” Peterson said. “People appreciated having the extra prizes, it kind of made things more fun.”
The extra prizes were awarded to winners of the scavenger hunts held during the derby, Peterson said.
This year’s fish prizes were awarded by a random draw of the fish entered. In past years, prizes were awarded based on fish size. Approximately 300 fish were registered for the drawing, Peterson said.
The derby is the club’s biggest fundraiser, and provides funding for habitat projects, including the recently-completed Rat Root River walleye spawning project. While grants helped fund part of the project, the club also provided a percentage of the cost.
Proceeds also benefit the club’s maintenance and improvements of the Rod Smith Memorial Kids’ Fishing Pond off County Road 93. The pond features picnic tables and two fishing piers, and is stocked with largemouth bass, blue gill and trout.
Peterson said, after expenses, the club raised “probably $10,000,” which will go right back into improving the fisheries.
