• File Photo Courtesy Of IWMA
• PERSONAL VERSUS PUBLIC Former SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority board Secretary Carolyn Grace Goodrich was charged with embezzlement and public records violations on Aug. 3.

The SLO County District Attorney's Office recently filed embezzlement charges against Carolyn Grace Goodrich, who served as the SLO County Integrated Waste Management Authority's (IWMA) board secretary through 2018.

The complaint filed in SLO County Superior Court on Aug. 3 lays out nine counts of felony embezzlement and one count of felony public records violations as well as requests a warrant for Goodrich's arrest.

Court documents allege that while Goodrich was an IWMA employee between 2014 and 2018, she used public funds to pay AT&T $14,181 for personal bills, purchase TurboTax software for personal use, buy personal goods at Lowe's, and pay for online services from Truthfinder, PeopleFinders, and PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records). The DA's Office also alleges that in August 2018, Goodrich had possession of a public "record, map, book, paper and court proceeding" and "did steal, remove, secrete, destroy, mutilate, deface, alter, and falsify said document."

In August 2018, IWMA's then manager Bill Worrell wrote a letter announcing his retirement, in which he said that his decision was primarily motivated by wanting to spend more time with his family and address health issues. However, Worrell wrote the letter the day before IWMA's board voted to place him on paid administrative leave until he officially retired on Sept. 11, 2018. That vote came after a private investigator alleged that Worrell was misusing agency money, which sparked the SLO County District Attorney's Office to investigate.

According to previous New Times reporting, former IRS auditor Carl Knudsen authored the report that led to the DA's investigation. In the report, Knudsen said there was a "lack of documentation" for $445,000 in expenses on the IWMA credit card issued to Worrell. He added that several transactions on the card "appeared to be personal in nature."

In a letter Worrell sent to Deputy District Attorney Michael Frye in July 2018, Worrell said he provided the DA's Office with credit card statements, receipts, and other documents.

The DA's Office declined to comment on the recently filed criminal complaint. Δ