Audit finds ex-Pierce County worker misspent $62K in funds for veterans

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A former Pierce County employee is facing more scrutiny after an audit found his mismanagement of money collected to help poor veterans started much earlier than previously believed.

The News Tribune reports that state auditors found in a new report that Clyde Drury III engaged in questionable spending dating back to January 2014.

Drury was fired last year after a county investigation concluded that he had misused $36,600 from the Pierce County Veterans Bureau from December 2014 through April 2015. The new audit found an additional $26,000 in questionable spending dating back a year earlier.

The Thurston County Prosecutor's Office is reviewing the investigations to determine if charges should be filed.

Drury has acknowledge that he allowed the questionable spending, saying he was distracted by family problems.