A former Bayfield resident suspected of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her homeowners association between 2010 and 2022 pleaded guilty Thursday in 6th Judicial District Court.
Wendy Crane, 43, plead guilty to theft, a class four felony. She was ordered to pay restitution to the Clover Meadow homeowners association in the amount of $63,642.47. She also received two years of probation, which could be shortened at a later date. If probation conditions are not met, Crane would face 2-6 years in prison, three years of parole and fines as high as $500,000.
“You understand the big thing in this case is restitution?” District Court Judge Anthony Baca said before affirming that Crane agreed to pay $5,000 immediately after sentencing and $300 a month thereafter until the total amount is paid off – which will take an estimated 16 years.
Crane and her court-appointed public defender made statements before sentencing.
“I know Ms. Crane has something that she wants to say and she can kind of explain the circumstances going on in her life at the time,” the public defender said. “She was in a horrible situation involving a severe illness with a child ... which was top of mind and she made some bad choices.”
Crane’s daughter, Aria, battled Hodgkin’s Disease from 2012 until her passing in 2015 at age 12.
“I just want to apologize to the people of the (HOA),” Crane said. “There’s no excuse for what I’ve done. I want to pay them back.” Her voice broke as she acknowledged the struggles in her life that led to the wrong choices. “I took what didn’t belong to me. Please forgive me and let me make this right.”
Crane was suspected of making multiple money transfers from the Clover Meadows HOA bank account into her personal account during the time she ran the HOA’s board of directors by herself without any checks and balances in place, according to the Bayfield Marshal’s Office and HOA members.
Interim Bayfield Marshal Lt. Brandon Tisher told The Durango Herald in September that Crane made several money transfers from the HOA account to her own account, some for hundreds of dollars and others for thousands.
“2010 was the start of when she started making transfers, and it looks like right around the first part of 2022 is when the accounts were closed,” Tisher said.
Tisher did not immediately return calls Thursday regarding what if anything more had been learned in the course of the Bayfield Marshal’s investigation into why Crane stole the money, what she did with the money, or how much was stolen. The Marshal’s office initially reported Crane was suspected of stealing more than $75,000.
Clover Meadows subdivision has about 65 homes, where HOA members paid $156 per year in dues leading up to and during the time the thefts occurred. The dues were earmarked for water services in the event of an emergency or if major improvements needed to be made.
gjaros@durangoherald.com
