With the recent death of Pierce County Sheriff Deputy Kent Mundell, the Department of Emergency Management is warning the public about fundraising donations being solicited by phone.

Mundell died Dec. 27 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle from wounds he received in a Dec. 21 shooting near Eatonville.

He was removed from life support as requested by his family.

If members of the public want to make a donation to the cause, it is strongly encouraged they use the Columbia Bank account that has been set up to aid the Mundell family.

A list of bank locations can be obtained at www.columbiabank.com/page.aspx?nid=27

The validity of the phone solicitations has not been verified by Pierce County. In many cases, fundraisers keep the vast majority of the money.