Florist makes first court appearance
EPHRATA - The owner of Moses Lake Floral made her first appearance in Grant County Superior Court on Monday, following charges of felony theft brought against her by the state Attorney General's Office in March.
Sally Marlene Walton, 62, of Moses Lake, is charged with first-degree theft for allegedly keeping nearly $94,000 in sales tax she collected operating the floral shop at 115 W. Third Ave.
Walton pleaded not guilty to the theft charge and has hired attorney Garth Dano to represent her in the case.
The felony theft of sales tax is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $20,000, plus restitution. Walton, aka Sally G. Walton, and her husband William W. Walton, had not filed a state tax return since they purchased Moses Lake Floral in 1998, according to court documents.
A state Department of Revenue audit concluded the business had collected $93,805 in state and local sales tax between January 2000 and June 2004, but did not remit it to state officials as required by law, the documents show.
State officials executed a search warrant against the floral shop last month to seize records believed to be available despite a Nov. 23, 2005, fire that was largely confined to a computer and records area of the shop.
The Moses Lake Police Department reported the circumstances of the fire were suspicious. Fire officials ruled the blaze arson. The theft charges were brought by the criminal justice division of the state Attorney General's Office. The state Department of Revenue requested the charges be brought against Sally Walton, who was identified as the bookkeeper, a state news release stated.
Sally Walton was booked into Grant County Jail on Monday on a superior court arrest warrant for the first-degree theft charge after her appearance before Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline. She was released Monday after posting $5,000 bail.
A warrant was first issued for her arrest on March 9, and bail fixed at $10,000, court documents show. A pre-trial conference date was set for June 12. An initial trial date was set for June 27.