Former sheriff's office employee is out of jail

MOSCOW - Rhonda Bunney was released from state custody Tuesday after serving six months in prison for bilking thousands of dollars from the Latah County Sheriff's Office.

Second District Judge John R. Stegner put Bunney on probation for the next three years after reviewing several documents demonstrating her progress and good behavior while incarcerated.

"Well done, Ms. Bunney," Stegner said. "You've done a good job. I have to say this is one of the most favorable reports I've seen."

Bunney was originally sentenced in June after pleading guilty in January to misuse of public funds for taking more than $56,000 from the county over several years in her role as administrative services supervisor for the sheriff's office.

Bunney worked at the county for 26 years, but was fired March 2, 2012, after the sheriff's office completed an internal investigation into the missing money.

Stegner initially sentenced Bunney to two to five years in prison, but retained jurisdiction for as long as a year, giving her the opportunity to qualify for probation after a term in Idaho Department of Correction custody. Bunney was also ordered to pay restitution for the approximately $56,000 taken from the county, which Stegner said Tuesday was his only point of concern.

Special Prosecutor Louis E. Marshall III brought the issue to light when he said his only objection to probation was that Bunney had not yet paid the restitution owed to the county. Stegner echoed the concern in establishing the three-year probation period.

Bunney's attorney, James Siebe of Moscow, said he was under the impression the money for restitution was supposed to come from Bunney's retirement funds accrued while employed by the county. Siebe said Bunney had not made any payments because she did not have access to those funds, but assured the court it would be taken care of quickly.

Stegner told Bunney that if she were to pay off her restitution in full and stay in the good graces of her probation officer, then he would consider reducing her probation length at a later date.

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Rudd may be contacted at erudd@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-8465. Follow her on Twitter @elizabeth_rudd.