Former Oak Harbor bank employee sentenced for theft, forgery

A former employee at an Oak Harbor bank was sentenced to jail and ordered to pay restitution for stealing from a customer and the bank, according to court documents.

Michelle D. Williams, 49, pleaded guilty in Island County Superior Court June 24 to theft in the first degree, theft in the second degree and two counts of forgery.

The judge sentenced her to a year in jail, which is the maximum under the standard sentencing range, and ordered her to pay nearly $26,000 in restitution.

According to the police report on the case, a fellow employee at Washington Federal Bank discovered the theft in August 2017. Williams had hand-written suspicious transactions on a ledger, which was against bank policy, the report states.

A bank investigator discovered a long series of unauthorized withdrawals from a customer’s bank account dating back to 2016. The bank reimbursed the man.

The report states that Williams always made a point of helping the particular customer when he came into the bank. The man told investigators Williams showed up at his home and asked for an $8,000 loan to pay for surgery, the report states. He refused to give her the money, but $8,900 was withdrawn from his account without his consent.

Williams is also accused of stealing $5,000 from her cash drawer on the day she was fired, the report says.