Uncovering the Truth: Discovery of Evidence that Confirmed Suspicions

Beyond Rumors: The Hard Evidence of Financial Misconduct at Pendleton Water

Executive Summary - For months, rumors have circulated within the Pendleton Water Association (PWA) community regarding the departure of the former Plant Manager. Some members have hesitated to believe allegations of wrongdoing, allegedly attributing the situation to "bad blood" between the previous PWA Board and the former Plant Manager. However, the discovery of disorganized but highly revealing documents following the Plant Manager's departure in August 2025 moves this narrative entirely from subjective suspicion to documented, objective evidence. This article details the specific, verified financial records that demonstrate an alleged long-term breach of trust and systematic diversion of member funds.

Personal Expenses Subsidized by PWA Members -The earliest discoveries in the plant's scattered files involved the blatant misuse of association funds to subsidize the former Plant Manager's personal lifestyle. According to the evidence presented, these were not administrative errors, but alleged long-term financial drains on the non-profit cooperative:

Unauthorized Cell Phone Bills: A review of AT&T billing statements from 2011 to the present revealed that PWA paid approximately $11,953.31 for a cell phone registered specifically to the Plant Manager’s spouse. The spouse was never a PWA employee, and a review of board meeting minutes from 2009-2012 shows no discussion or approval for this perk.

Personal Internet Service: Sabine State Credit Card summary statements show that since January 2023, the Plant Manager used the association's credit card to purchase Starlink internet equipment and monthly service, costing PWA $3,347.90. A physical survey of PWA properties confirmed no Starlink equipment was present or utilized at the plant.

Years of Unpaid Water Bills: The PWA Muni billing system records confirm that the Plant Manager’s personal home water meter was listed in "inactive" mode—meaning a water meter was installed, but the meter was not read or billed—from at least 2021 (and potentially as early as September 2018) until July 2025. This alleged water theft amounted to an estimated $11,549.61. No historical board meeting minutes indicate approval for free water, and restitution was only made after the Board threatened to lock off the service in August 2025.

Double-Dipping and the Exploitation of Private Contracts - The documents indicate that the financial manipulation extended deeply into how the Plant Manager billed the association through his own private contracting business.

In August 2017, PWA records show the Board agreed to provide the Plant Manager with health insurance in lieu of paying him separate fees for meter reading. However, after the Board president who negotiated the insurance for meter reading deal left the board, invoices reveal that he quietly resumed billing PWA for meter reading while continuing to receive health insurance. Through this alleged double-dipping, he submitted bills and was paid at least $83,514.00 before a new board halted the practice in early 2024.

Furthermore, an alarming trend emerged when comparing repair invoices. During 2018, the single year he was prevented from billing for meter reading, his private company's invoices for distribution leak repairs abnormally spiked to $22,835.50. The following year, when his unauthorized meter reading billing resumed, the repair bills conveniently plummeted back down to $8,712.50 which more closely matched the annual repair cost experienced prior to the insurance deal.

Phantom Rentals and Funneling Funds -The Plant Manager also allegedly funneled association money through questionable vendor relationships and unauthorized equipment rentals.

Phantom Rental Fees: Invoices show the Plant Manager billed PWA $16,525.00 since 2019 for the "rental" of his personal, often non-operational, trucks and heavy equipment. This included a brazen $4,500 invoice submitted on his final day of work for "15 months of rental".

Custom Auto Shop Invoices: PWA was billed $8,126.76 for repairs to vehicles not owned by the association, funneled through a custom auto repair business operating on property personally owned by the Plant Manager. Additional suspect invoices from this auto shop included $400 for “leak detection,” $2,780 for “clean up,” and $5,310 for “cabinets” installed at the water plant—services entirely outside the scope of an auto repair business.

Credit Card Abuse: A final review of the Community Bank Credit Card statements during the Plant Manager's last month of employment revealed he used the association card to extend a professional conference stay into a weekend vacation at a casino. During his final weeks, he also charged a new set of tires and an oil change for his personal vehicle to a PWA credit card without Board approval.

Call to Action: A Demand for Justice - This documented evidence directly contradicts any narrative that the prior PWA Board's actions were driven by personal "bad blood." The data—ranging from AT&T bills and credit card statements to the Muni billing system logs—paints a clear, undeniable picture of alleged systematic financial exploitation.

At this point, the total sum of potentially misused funds totals over $100,000. This loss of funds directly impacts every PWA member through potential rate hikes and deferred facility maintenance. We urge our membership to review the facts objectively. Furthermore, we publicly call upon local law enforcement and the judicial system to review this hard evidence and move past interpersonal rumors. A fiduciary breach of this magnitude requires full, professional forensic investigation and appropriate legal accountability.

This article is episode 3 of our series. In Part 4 we will detail the Board's actions to report these financial irregularities to the proper authorities.