The report said former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner “failed to make her job as circuit attorney a top priority.”
Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, a Republican, released a 71-page report and press release Tuesday that described the “rudderless ship of chaos” in which Gardner pursued her nursing certification while on the job. It confirmed his previous statement that he was the captain. she should have done her job.
A statement from the state comptroller's office said the former Democratic prosecutor spent 34.5 business days, or about seven weeks, in the office working on his studies at Saint Louis University.
“The driving force, in my view, was that Kim Gardner did not make her job as circuit attorney a top priority,” Fitzpatrick told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Kim Gardner took nursing classes while working as a St. Louis circuit attorney, according to the audit report. (Adobe Stock)
His investigation also found widespread staff turnover, misuse of public funds, and a significant drop in the number of cases filed, referred and closed by the time Gardner resigned amid criticism in 2023. It turns out.
Other issues cited in the audit include more than $58,000 spent on flowers, disc jockeys, car detailing, office picnics, chili dinners and Mr. Gardner's personal legal fees. of public funds are included.
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In this Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, then-Col. St. Paul. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)
Gardner told auditors she is pursuing a master's degree in family nursing practice “to improve the office and bring mental health awareness to the office.”
She calls for diversion into mental health and substance abuse treatment for low-level crimes, promises greater accountability for police, and calls for the release of those wrongly convicted and imprisoned. He was part of the progressive prosecutor movement.
Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (right) and Harvard Law Professor Ronald Sullivan arrive at the civil court building on May 14, 2018. (Christian Gooden/After Deployment to St. Louis/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Republican leaders have often criticized Gardner, citing concerns such as his low murder conviction rate. She frequently clashed with police and conservatives.
“Our audit report paints a clear picture of an office that was in much better shape before Kim Gardner took over, but quickly recovered after her departure. Nevertheless, we were able to obtain the information we needed to tell taxpayers the full extent of the damage she caused to the office,'' Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
