A third suspect has been charged in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme that resulted in the theft of over $100,000 from the Cowlitz Indian Tribe.
Shannon D. Long, 57, of Vancouver, faces five counts of first-degree theft, each considered a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
In its probable cause affidavit, the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office indicated the investigation is ongoing and said additional theft charges may be added. Because the Cowlitz Tribe is an alleged victim in the case, the FBI is reportedly assisting in the investigation.
Long made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday. A judge released him on a $10,000 unsecured appearance bond.
According to the affidavit, Long was convicted of murder and robbery in 1994 and was last released from prison in 2020. He completed his community supervision in August 2022.
Cowlitz Tribal Police became aware of Long while investigating Michael L. Draper, who — along with Elicia D. Kellam — was accused of using a fake company to defraud the Cowlitz Tribe out of more than $100,000. Draper is a former employee of the tribe.
According to the affidavit, police learned Draper had allegedly used the tribe’s credit card to purchase items, which he then sold to friends at half the original price. Long was allegedly one of those friends.
Further investigation into Long reportedly revealed a series of suspected fraudulent purchase orders involving Long’s construction company, Honey Do Construction. Draper had allegedly created the purchase orders. According to the affidavit, Long was hired to complete a variety of home updates for the tribe’s facilities and its elders.
Those jobs, which allegedly were never completed, included the installation of new cabinets, an ADA door, a ramp and an HVAC unit. Other alleged work never completed included roof drain replacement, drywall repair and bathroom upgrades. According to the affidavit, the amount paid to Long totaled over $40,000.
“Bank records also show that within a few days after Draper’s arrest, Shannon Long made multiple withdrawals at multiple branch locations over a two-week period totaling $47,000,” prosecutors said in the affidavit.
Prosecutors alleged the “trigger” for the withdrawals was Draper’s arrest.
Draper was charged with five counts of first-degree theft in Lewis County Superior Court in January following a high-speed, multi-agency pursuit that led to his and Kellam’s arrests in Thurston County. While the theft case against Draper remains active, charges stemming from the alleged chase have since been dismissed in Thurston County Superior Court, according to court records.
In February, Draper was charged in federal court with unlawful possession of a firearm. According to federal prosecutors, investigators found two polymer “ghost guns” — one a handgun and the other an AR-style rifle — inside Draper’s truck following his arrest.
Kellam awaits a sentencing hearing on Sept. 16 after making an Alford plea to five amended counts of second-degree theft, according to court documents.
Like Draper, Kellam was originally charged with five counts of first-degree theft in Lewis County Superior Court. A probable cause affidavit lists five fraudulent purchases flagged by the tribe’s housing accountant during the investigation into Draper.
The alleged purchases range from $4,475 on the low end to $9,936.90 on the high end, and include items pertaining to a water filtration system, a water heater and two new water pumps.
The tribal contract coordinator reportedly confirmed with Cowlitz Tribal Police that the work for those related services was never done.
The purchases allegedly began on Nov. 17, 2025, and concluded on Jan. 2. Together they formed the basis for the five counts of first-degree theft charged against Draper.
“The contractor Draper allegedly used to pay for this work was ‘Kellam Environmental Services,’” the affidavit said. “The address for this company is the Olympia address on Elicia Kellam’s driver’s license.”
According to the affidavit, Draper stole the tribal funds by allegedly “bypassing normal approval routes” and approving the fraudulent purchase orders himself.
“The Cowlitz Indian Tribe takes any misuse of Tribal resources extremely seriously,” Chris Olsen, then-interim chief of the Cowlitz Indian Tribal Public Safety Department, said in a January statement following the arrests of Draper and Kellam. “We will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement and will support all appropriate efforts to pursue justice.”
Long is scheduled for an arraignment on Sept. 17. As part of his conditions of release, Long is prohibited from contacting Draper, Kellam or any other witnesses in the case.
Draper remains in federal custody, according to prosecutors.
