CLEARFIELD –The Winburne Fire Company may have felt a bit of déjà vu Monday, as a second woman accused of stealing from them was sentenced.
Sarah Yvonne Dunlap, 37, of Winburne pleaded guilty during sentencing court to three felony counts each of theft by unlawful taking and access device fraud for using a fire company credit card for things such as a trip to the Poconos.
Dunlap, who was the treasurer for the company, reportedly started using the card in January of 2016, just a few months after a former treasurer, Brittany Nicole Bell, was caught stealing funds totaling up to $43,000.
Bell, who paid $30,000 in restitution prior to her sentencing in October of 2016, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Judge Paul Cherry to 90 days to one year in the county jail.
Dunlap was not so lucky. She had signed an “open” plea agreement leaving the sentence up to the judge.
Fire Chief Harold Davis told Judge Fredric J. Ammerman that she put the lives of the members of the company at risk by wasting the money on her own personal needs rather than them being able to use it for fire equipment.
“We feel we have been let down by a family member.”
Dunlap’s attorney, Ken Pennington, defended her, saying she felt remorse and “she is here to accept responsibility for her actions.”
He noted that she had no prior criminal record and should receive a minimum three to 12-month county jail sentence, which would allow her to possibly work and pay the restitution sooner and support her family.
Deputy District Attorney Trudy Lumadue noted that it is fortunate that the fire company decided to obtain insurance in case of future thefts or things could be a lot worse for them.
She asked Ammerman to consider that he could give Dunlap a minimum of up to 18 months for each count and pointed out that Dunlap had not paid any of her restitution of over $55,000.
When she addressed the court, Dunlap told Ammerman that she regrets her decisions and admitted there was no excuse for what she did. She asked Ammerman for leniency.
In the end, Ammerman sentenced her to a total of 18 months to five years in state prison.
According to the affidavit, an investigation began in August of 2018 after a member of the fire company discovered a large transaction from a resort near the Poconos.
During a search of the account records, it was discovered that Dunlap began using the credit card for her own use in January of 2016.
The pattern of activity continued in 2017 and 2018 when she made unofficial transactions for trips, food, vehicle and insurance payments, online shopping and cash withdrawals.
During these years when the fire department general account was low, she transferred funds from another fire company account.
In an interview with investigators, she admitted to making the transactions and apologized to the fire company members at a meeting for taking the money, according to the criminal complaint.