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Grand Jury indicts former Sylva official
By Lynn Hotaling
 A Sylva official who unexpectedly resigned her post in October was indicted Monday (Jan. 23) by a local Grand Jury.
Former town board member Anne Cabe, who was on the November ballot but gave up her seat and ended her candidacy two weeks before the election, stands accused of stealing more than $21,000 from New Savannah Baptist Church from January 2004 through October 2005. Cabe was church treasurer during that time, according to the Rev. Ray Knowles, New Savannah’s pastor.
Jackson County’s Grand Jury indicted Cabe on 20 counts, one for each month she allegedly embezzled church funds. Documents on file at the Jackson County Clerk of Court’s Office indicate that Cabe is accused of taking money each month during that period with the exception of February and March, 2004.
The per-month amounts she’s alleged to have taken vary from a high of $3,200 in April 2005 to a low of $100 in October 2004.
Neither Knowles or District Attorney Mike Bonfoey would comment about the specifics of the case.
“I don’t think that would be appropiate,” Reverend Knowles said Tuesday.
Bonfoey, who confirmed last month that Cabe was under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation, said he wouldn’t discuss evidence in the case because he doesn’t want to risk influencing potential jurors.
The SBI investigation led to Monday’s indictments, Bonfoey said.
The district attorney did say the investigation was triggered by the concerns of some New Savannah members who discovered inaccuracies and inconsistencies with church funds. After meeting with church members last fall, Bonfoey’s office requested the SBI investigation, he said.
Bonfoey declined to discuss church members’ motivation in contacting his office for help but said that once he had been advised of possible wrongdoing he was obligated to investigate.
“Once a criminal act is brought to my attention, I request an investigation and follow it wherever it leads and let the chips fall where they may,” Bonfoey said.
As of Tuesday, Bonfoey said he didn’t have any idea when the matter might come to trial. Should Cabe enter a guilty plea, resolution could come sooner, Bonfoey said.
The district attorney also declined to speculate on what type of sentence Cabe might receive. In the absense of a prior criminal record, no mandatory sentencing guidelines apply, he said.
“It’s always disappointing when someone does something like this to their fellow parishioners,” Bonfoey said.
Cabe was appointed to Sylva’s town board after her husband, Eldon Cabe, died in office in March 2003. She ran unopposed in November 2003 to fill the remainder of his term. Anne Cabe, who retired after 30 years with the Department of Social Services, also served as a Sylva appointee on the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority board for 10 years.
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