Former North West River town clerk pleads guilty in theft of $70K

A former town clerk in North West River has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a theft the mayor says nearly left the town insolvent.

Crown prosecutors will be seeking jail timefor Holly Flowers, who pleaded guilty to stealing thousands ofdollars from town coffers between 2014 and 2016.

Flowers entered pleas Monday morning to theft over $5,000, theft under $5,000, and breach of public trust by a public officer.

The RCMPsay Flowers was working as a clerk during a time when over $70,000went missing from the town. Town council minutes say she suddenly quit without notice when an auditor asked her to explain whyfunds that were coming in to the town weren't showing up in its bank account.

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Flowers took a job with the RigoletInuit community governmentafter leaving North West River but was suspended without pay pending the outcome of her charges. Nobody was available at RigoletofficesMonday afternoon to say whether she was still employed.

The loss of the money and the subsequent investigation it cost over $120,000 for an audit of the town's books, a huge expense for apopulation base of around 500 people pushed North West River to the brink of insolvency, Mayor David Kieser told CBC News in July. The province had to step in with funding to help the townkeep operations going while undertaking the expensive audit.

Timothy Blake, who the town said is married to Flowers, is also facing charges of theft over $5,000 and uttering threats. Blake who served on North West River council for 10 months from 2015-16, has not yet entered a plea.

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