Gwen Sherbondy, a Coquille mother, is in the custody of the FBI in Lane County after being arrested for a Roseburg bank robbery. Robbing banks may not be her only crime.
The mother of a Coquille High School student, Sherbondy also is charged with first-degree theft in a case involving the money missing for Coquille seniors end-year-trip. Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels said Sherbondy has been in charge of the project’s funds since September.
Coquille schools Superintendent Diann Gillaspie, said Project Graduation is an effort by senior parents and students to raise money for the senior trip. She identified Sherbondy as one of its parent leaders, although she does not know the woman personally.
The police chief said he isn’t sure how much money is missing from the project, but seniors raised more than $20,000 last year. Gillaspie said she was unaware of how much money had been earned this year.
“A majority to all of it is gone,†Dannels said.
Sherbondy may have a gambling habit according to unconfirmed reports. This would make two high profile citizens who have allowed a gambling addiction to turn them into criminals, the first being former Coquille Police officer Randy Ulmer.
Seems to me our community sorely needs some education and outreach and ought to start properly funding mental health agencies.
Hats off to Sgt Pat Smith and Chief Mark Dannels for recognizing the suspect and putting two and two together.
