ROCK SPRINGS — Sweetwater County STAR Transit is disclosing an investigation that led to criminal charges being filed against a former employee.
According to a press release from STAR, discrepancies between driver reports and weekly farebox deposits were discovered April 29. A review of the records highlighted a shortage of $2,054 occurring between June 2025 and April. During that same period, discrepancies amounting to $841 related to fuel card usage was also discovered.
The Rock Springs Police Department was called to investigate the issue, which led to charges being filed against former employee Thelma Cudney. Cudney is charged with felony Theft and misdomeanor Unauthorized Use of Credit Card, Charge Card, or Debit Card. The felony carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both, while the misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $750, or both.
STAR says it has implemented additional controls to reduce the risk of similar issues in the future and assures residents the investigation did not impact its operations and services.
“STAR remains committed to provided reliable door-to-door public transportation throughout Sweetwater County,” the press release states.
According to court records, Cudney’s case was bound over and assigned to District Court Judge Suzannah Robinson. Cudney was booked into the Sweetwater County Detention Center but was released on her own recognizance.
Court documents state the standard operating procedure at STAR required drivers to submit their daily farebox cash in a secure envelope alongside a signed daily driver reconciliation sheet. The dispatcher on duty would count the cash from the driver and sign off on the total, then place the cash in a secure drawer. The daily figures would then be logged into a master tracking spreadsheet.
Cudney is alleged to have altered the handwritten figures on the physical driver sheets to show lower cash amounts to pocket the cash difference, then allegedly underreported the master spreadsheet amount to match the altered deposit.
STAR discovered the discrepancies when Cudney was away from the office. A STAR employee took over banking duties and found a $5 overage on a deposit from the prior Friday. The employee cross-referenced the daily sheets and discovered multiple irregularities in the financial records. Charging documents state Cudney admitted to taking from STAR and explained how she did it during an April 29 meeting with STAR Director Dwane Pacheco. Charging documents also state she admitted to stealing from STAR when questioned by an RSPD officer that day, saying she started December 2025.
Discrepancies were also identified in fuel purchases charged to STAR. Pacheco reported the discrepancies to the RSPD May 26, saying the purchase times and fuel amounts didn’t match when drivers would fuel their buses and how much they would spend. Pacheco told the RSPD the fuel was purchased earlier than when drivers arrived to work and in smaller amounts than usual. The purchases took place at the Alta Convenience Stores located on Elk Street and Foothill Boulevard.
Pacheco spoke with an employee of the U-Haul storage business at 2450 Foothill Blvd. and received a video showing the area around the gas pumps at the Foothill Boulevard Alta store. The video shows a Volkswagen SUV pull up to a pump on April 15 at 5:18 a.m. The video allegedly correlates with an unauthorized charge of $48.08. Officers obtained a photograph of Cudney’s vehicle as it was parked outside of her home, with the vehicle seen in the police photograph matching the vehicle in the video.
