Dianne Rummel formally charged

THOMPSON FALLS – Sanders County Clerk of Court Dianne Rummel was arraigned for criminal charges Tuesday in direct relation to allegations of theft, embezzlement tampering with county records and witnesses.

Rummel was formally charged with 10 felonies and 6 misdemeanors after months of investigation by county officials, which had begun early last year.

Judge CB. McNeil presided over the arraignment hearing; however, Judge Jim Wheelis of Lincoln County oversaw the affidavit matter, and will also oversee the omnibus hearing, as Sanders County district judges disqualified themselves as judges for this particular case due to their familiarity with Rummel.

Following the arraignment reading and represented by Greg Hood of the Missoula Public Defenders Office, Rummel entered a not guilty plea to all charges.

A sworn affidavit filed by Assistant Attorney General for the state of Montana and a Special Deputy County Attorney for Sanders County Chad Parker, events described by co-workers and investigators support the charges brought against Rummel.

The affidavit indicated Rummel be charged with five counts of tampering with public records or information, three counts tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, and two counts of tampering with witnesses or informants.

On April 15, 2011 Sanders County Clerk of Court Candace Fisher met with Sanders County Attorney, Bob Zimmerman and described the events leading up to her meeting with him and her discovery of the missing cash from the cash box as well as the lack of re-entering receipts regarding the missing funds.

Fisher had advised Rummel to return the money due to the liability, and that the money was that of the county, state and taxpayers’ money.

Fisher stated that she had monitored the cash box activity, as well as whether or not Rummel returned the funds as she had promised in one of their verbal exchanges regarding Rummel’s “borrowing” the money. Fisher observed some funds were not returned or re-entered into the system as promised.

Zimmerman, shortly after the meeting with Fisher and hearing her statements, requested that Robert K. Denning, a certified public accountant from Denning, Downey & Associates, P.C. in Kalispell, perform a limited audit of Rummel’s cash handling policies.

In May of 2011, Zimmerman and Denning met with Rummel in the presence of Christie Deck, the Sanders County personnel director. In this meeting, Rummel admitted to taking amounts of up to $200 from the Court’s cash boxes. On August 4, 2011, Detective Doug Dryden of SCSO began interviewing Rummel’s co-workers. In mid-September, after having conducted internews with other co-workers of Rummel’s regarding information she may have shared. On Septembe 15, Dryden interviewed Rummel herself, and later that day Mirandized Rummel Dryden asked that Rummel not speak of the case to her co-workers, as they were potential witnesses. According to said co-workers, Rummel met with and spoke with them about the case, though they indicated they had asked her not to. The affidavit is based on information and belief, that investigative information developed and provided to Parker by Detective Dryden.

Following the plea Tuesday, Parker advised that new documents had been obtained. Rummel had sent co-workers Candace Fisher and Geni Holden disciplinary letters, “another attempt of disciplining these individuals over her own case,” Parker said. 

“We need to set something of value to risk,” Parker continued. “She is already suspended with pay, and we ask that a ten thousand dollar bond be set and also require not to make any contact with any witnesses for any reason whatsoever.”

The defense made no objection to the requests; however, the defendant requested through her attorney that Judge Wheelis preside over the matter of her bail. The defense also requested that Rummel remain on oral release.

The court motioned that Rummel remain on oral release and that she is strictly prohibited to make any contact of any form to any witness.

An omnibus hearing will be set by Judge Wheelis at a later date.