Embezzler must pay back Schellinger Construction

A 36-year-old Columbia Falls woman charged with embezzling about $7,600 from Schellinger Construction was given a three-year deferred sentence.

Flathead County District Court Judge Robert Allison sentenced Nicole Rae McCubbins on Dec. 11 to one count of felony theft by common scheme. She faced up to 10 years and a $50,000 fine, but a plea deal was reached.

Allison also ordered McCubbins to pay $4,000 in restitution to Schellinger and pay a $1,000 fine with half suspended.

According to court records, a manager at Schellinger contacted authorities on Oct. 9, 2013, after $1,800 had gone missing from a concrete sale. A further review found $7,670 missing from May 1, 2013 through Oct. 9, 2013.

The manager said McCubbins was the only employee with access to both cash and the software to track cash. When confronted by authorities, she allegedly admitted to stealing cash once a week since spring 2013.

In court, however, McCubbins said she only took about $4,000. She also explained that she took the money to help make ends meet when her health insurance through employment at Schellinger wasn’t enough to pay for a broken leg.