She’s accused of stealing nearly $111,000 from a Tri-Cities club. She says she didn’t do it

A Richland woman paid to manage the finances for a private equestrian club pleaded innocent Thursday to allegations she embezzled nearly $111,000.

Katrine L. Smith, 48, is charged in Benton County Superior Court with first-degree theft.

It includes the allegation she used her position of trust or fiduciary responsibility to commit the crime, which involved a high degree of sophistication and a greater loss than is typical for theft.

Since Smith appeared Thursday on a summons, she was granted continued release on her personal recognizance. Her trial is set for Dec. 9.

Court documents show that Smith was the treasurer for the Richland Riders Club when she took the money.

When confronted about the embezzlement, she admitted she knew it was wrong but said she needed financial help, documents said.

She paid back the $38,000 she said she borrowed, but a professional audit found there was still $73,000 in missing funds from the club.

Smith denied taking any more money, and blamed the discrepancies on the club’s turnover in the secretary position and the accounting software QuickBooks for crashing on her, documents said.

The audit showed she wrote nearly 300 club checks to herself over the seven years she was responsible for bookkeeping services. Her yearly pay was $960 for doing that work.

The members-only club was formed in 1949 and owns and operates a 9-acre equestrian boarding and riding facility at 2533 Van Giesen St., west of Highway 240.

Smith’s LinkedIn page says she works at Columbia Basin College as an outreach retention specialist for the bachelor of applied science degree in applied management program.

She also has worked for Charter College in Pasco, the Benton Franklin Chapter of the American Red Cross and Special Olympics Washington.