Destination Packwood, a tourism nonprofit in East Lewis County, closed suddenly in July.
About five months after Destination Packwood closed abruptly amid an investigation into what the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office called “accounting irregularities,” the nonprofit’s former executive director has been accused of stealing more than $20,000 from the organization over a span of a few years.
Carolyn J. Neer, also known as C.J., 58, was charged Dec. 5 with one count each of first-degree theft and second-degree theft, and two counts of forgery, all felony charges.
She was issued a summons to make her first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on the charges on Tuesday afternoon, after The Chronicle’s press deadline for the Jan. 2 edition of The Chronicle.
According to court documents, deputies with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office first responded to a report of a “possible misappropriation of funds” on Jan. 7, 2019. Deputies learned Neer had resigned on Jan. 2, 2019.
In her resignation letter, she said “This is necessary because I have made decisions and choices in the last 2-3 years that were not good,” as quoted in court documents.
Neer, as executive director of the nonprofit, was reportedly responsible for managing finances and raising money through grants and fundraisers, including successfully soliciting lodging tax funding from Lewis County. She has been accused of, between September 2014 and December 2017, of overpaying her salary by $20,778.
She is also accused of making unauthorized purchases on the Destination Packwood credit card of $1,709 between January 2014 and December 2018. She also is accused of presenting fraudulent financial reports to the Destination Packwood board that did not include the money she allegedly took.
Vocal Destination Packwood critic Bill Serrahn, also a former member of the 2019 Lewis County Citizens Budget Committee, told The Chronicle that he was aware of problems Destination Packwood was facing, starting in 2018.
“I was aware that she was charged and I believe that she is going to be arraigned today. I don’t know anything about what the charges are,” said Serrahn.
Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper, former Lewis County Commissioner Lee Grose and Destination Packwood member and local business owner Hal Blanton have not yet responded to requests for comment.
According to past Chronicle reporting, the case was referred to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office on May 7, 2019. Destination Packwood’s visitor’s center was closed in July. Since then, the White Pass Country Historical Museum has obtained Lewis County lodging tax funds to reopen the center.
In the three years leading up to the investigation, Destination Packwood received more than $260,000 in tourism promotion funds paid by Lewis County’s hotel/motel tax.
County commissioner Gary Stamper, who represents the East County district that includes Packwood, said in July that he was concerned by the closure and investigation.
“Whenever you have a nonprofit that’s taking funds from the county, specifically lodging tax dollars, when you haven’t done your due diligence — I’m not sure what it was, whether they didn’t file taxes or the proper information or whatever it might have been — it is troubling,” he said in July. “There obviously is a red flag, otherwise they would not have ceased operations.”
Neer was also on the Lewis County Planning Commission, the Lewis County Public Facilities District Board and the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee at the time of the alleged thefts.
