Katja Spitz, formerly head of the Pacific County Tourism Bureau, has been charged with an alleged felony.

SOUTH BEND — A woman fired from the Pacific County Tourism Bureau last August for alleged embezzlement turned herself in to Pacific County Superior Court late last month.

Katja M. Spitz, 46, was charged on Dec. 3, 2024, in superior court with first-degree theft after it was alleged she spent thousands of dollars in tourism bureau funds on herself.

According to court records, the missing funds were discovered in August 2024 after employees from the tourism bureau came forward and alleged accounting was off. Tourism Bureau Board Treasurer David Glasson dug deeper and said he verified the allegations.

Spitz, who was on vacation at the time, was placed on leave upon her return on Aug. 7 and was fired on Aug. 13.

Glasson reported his findings to the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 15 after discovering that approximately $42,527 was missing. That sum was later raised to $73,205.

The alleged diversion of funds spanned several months and included purchases at Amazon and Home Depot. Workers at the tourism bureau reported that if they questioned Spitz about the spending, she would “put their jobs on the line.”

Following her firing, Spitz left the area, and it was believed she had relocated to the Minneapolis, Minnesota area or to Sweden, where she holds dual citizenship.

Spitz and her attorney, Christopher J. Coker of Olympia-based Younglove, Coker & Rhodes PLLC, showed up to court on Feb. 21, just over two months after she was formally charged, seeking to quash the warrant.

Judge Donald J. Richter quashed the warrant and set her bail bond at $75,000 or cash bond at $7,500, which she subsequently posted.

Among Spitz’s pretrial release conditions, she was ordered to surrender her passport. She also signed a waiver of extradition because her residence is listed as Minneapolis.

Spitz is scheduled to appear on March 21 for a pretrial hearing. There is currently no trial scheduled, which will likely be set during her next appearance.