Inyo County briefs
Bragdon pleads guilty to Tri-County Fair embezzlement
According to an Inyo County District Attorney’s Office press release on August 21, Bishop resident Rebecca Bragdon has entered pleas of guilty to misappropriation of public funds from the Tri-County Fairgrounds.
The Inland Division of the California Highway Patrol began the investigation into the embezzlement last September, prior to the annual Labor Day Tri-County Fair. In February of this year, Bragdon was arrested and charged with embezzling from the Fairgrounds while she was employed there as an office manager from July 2012 through July of 2013.
Bragdon pled guilty to violating Penal Code section 424, or misappropriation of public funds, and Penal Code section 470, commonly known as forgery. According to the press release, both charges are felonies. Restitution was set at $25,979.82. Sentencing was set for Oct. 22.
Bragdon may be ordered to serve up to one year in the Inyo County Jail, will be placed on five years of formal probation, and will be barred from holding any public office. District Attorney Tom Hardy said that the likelihood of Bradon serving no time was slim, “given the seriousness of the offense.” He added that if Bragdon has not paid the full restitution by the time of sentencing in October, she will serve six months in jail.
Court to consider plea agreement in NIH privacy breach
The Inyo County District Attorney’s Office has proposed a plea agreement with Bishop resident Cherie LaBraque, accused last year of illegally accessing Northern Inyo Hospital medical records.
The breach came to light in August of 2013, when Health Information Management Director and Privacy Officer Kelli Huntsinger noticed a hard copy of NIH patient Tami Matteson’s file on the desk of Hospital Records employee LaBraque.
Then-Hospital Administrator John Halfen explained that Huntsinger was aware of a personal dispute between employee LaBraque and patient Matteson.
At the Oct. 16, NIH Board meeting, Matteson claimed she believed LaBraque used her medical file to document that she was an unfit mother during a custody battle with her ex-husband, who is now married to LaBraque.
LaBraque was fired within hours of the discovery of a privacy breach.
According to District Attorney Tom Hardy, the plea agreement states that LaBraque would enter a plea of guilty or no contest to a misdemeanor violation of Penal Code section 502, unlawfully accessing computer data; serve three years of probation and 240 hours of community service, and would be prohibited from working or volunteering in any positions where she would have access to patient health records.
Supes debate Whitney Portal Road closure
At the August 12 Board of Supervisors meeting, Public Works Director Clint Quilter discussed the seasonal closure of Whitney Portal Road and asked for direction from the Board as to whether it should be a “soft” or “hard” closure.
Under a “soft closure” the County uses portable barricades and signage to close the roadway after the first major winter storm of the year. According to Quilter, “Little snow plowing has been needed on the Whitney Portal Road in recent years, but there are rocks and boulders that do require regular clearance.”
Supervisor Linda Arcularius noted there has been little snow the past few years.
She recommended a flexible road closure, depending on the weather.
Seasonal closure of the roadway could impact access by the 27 Whitney Portal cabin owners, concessionaires, park service and county employees, and is also of concern to those who may be trapped during a severe storm. The Board also discussed liability issues should anyone be injured or killed by the unsafe conditions on the roadway.
Whitney Portal Store owner Doug Thompson spoke against road closure, saying that the Supervisors “need to consider the economic impact to local Inyo County communities in the winter rather than sending everyone up to Mono County to enjoy winter activities.” He noted that there is little evidence since the road’s opening in 1935 that anyone has ever been seriously injured.
“Thousands of people from around the world and in the country visit Whitney in the winter to cross-country ski, ice climb, enjoy winter mountaineering, camping and hiking,” Thompson said. He pleaded with the Supervisor to not close off public access.
“We need to keep our outdoor areas open in the winter so they continue to eat at our local restaurants, stay at our local motels, and be able to enjoy winter activities that are available here,” he added after the meeting.
Thompson also told the Board that the County should do an economic analysis
before closing the road and expressed concern that other roads will be closed next and will affect public access to public lands.
The Board discussed signage, as well as the possible road closure. “No Snow Removal Beyond This Point” has been used recently. The Board reached no decision, and Quilter will be returning to be advised by the Board on how they wish to proceed.
