Documents shed light on new charges against former Warrick Co. Animal Control supervisor

EVANSVILLE – The ongoing Indiana State Police investigation into Warrick County Animal Control led detectives to conclude this month that the agency's former supervisor, Danielle Barnes, and at least one other county employee orchestrated a scheme to unlawfully sell more than 100 dogs to adopters while pocketing cash payments intended for county coffers.

In an 18-page affidavit of probable cause filed in support of charging Barnes, 55, with five felony offenses, state police detective Patrick S. Stinson detailed much of the evidence and testimony collected during the investigation, which first led to Barnes' arrest in December.

That investigation reportedly entailed discussions with at least 13 unnamed witnesses, conversations with veterinarians and Warrick County Animal Control staff, search warrants and a thorough analysis of county financial records.

The ISP alleges that the financial records show that Barnes and 50-year-old Susan Broshears, a former animal control employee arrested Friday, mismanaged public funds and unlawfully directed payments to a bank account belonging to Warrick Animal Guardians, a nonprofit Barnes operates.

In the course of the investigation, which began in December, detectives also claim to have found that Barnes utilized multiple veterinarians to procure controlled substances − including ketamine and a powerful euthanasia drug − at times without disclosing the scope of her purchases to the veterinarians involved.

Barnes is scheduled to appear Feb. 9 in Warrick County Superior Court before Judge Robert Aylsworth, who is serving in place of Judge Amy Miskimen while she is on medical leave. Broshears is ordered to appear before Warrick County Circuit Court Judge Greg Granger on Feb. 26, according to court records. Both have been released on bond.

More: Former Warrick Co. Animal Control supervisor and one other facing new charges

Perry County Prosecutor Samantha Hurst is leading the case against Barnes and Broshears due to the Warrick County Prosecutor's Office recusing itself due to potential conflicts of interest.

State police say Barnes and subordinate conducted deals for nonprofit on county's dime

When the state police arrested Barnes on Dec. 13 while troopers executed a search warrant at her Chandler home, the agency disclosed little about its ongoing investigation into Warrick County Animal Control.

The affidavit of probable cause filed in support of Barnes' initial arrest on charges of possession of a legend drug and theft noted that investigators had located kitten vaccines and animal microchips inside Barnes' home and that detectives believed these items constituted property stolen from Warrick County Animal Control.

The affidavit did not describe how detectives directly linked the vaccines and chips to Warrick County Animal Control, and local animal welfare advocates told the Courier & Press it was likely Barnes would possess those items through her work at Warrick Animal Guardians, which is commonly referred to as WAG.

But documents filed last week in Warrick County Circuit Court say Barnes herself disclosed it was the county, not WAG, that procured the feline vaccines. Barnes allegedly said as much during what the state police called an "excited utterance" made in the presence of law enforcement.

The affidavits of probable cause filed in Barnes and Broshears' cases also describe a slew of allegations that go far beyond the alleged theft of vaccines and microchips, including Barnes and Broshears' alleged participation in the unlawful sale of dogs in the custody of Warrick County Animal Control and the mismanagement of controlled drugs.

The ISP said Barnes and Broshears collected adoption fees and other payments for services rendered by Warrick County Animal Control, but these payments allegedly never made it to Warrick County's coffers. Out of hundreds of pet adoptions orchestrated over months, fewer than 70 payments for adoptions appeared in Warrick County Health Department financial records, detectives allege.

Additionally, the ISP alleges that Barnes and Broshears collected on-the-clock timesheet payments from Warrick County while they conducted work on behalf of Barnes' nonprofit – actions the ISP described as "ghost employment."

Stinson's affidavit filed in support of charging both women draws heavily from the testimony of unnamed cooperating witnesses, some of whom work or worked at Warrick County Animal Control. These witnesses reportedly corroborated findings the ISP reached after analyzing the Warrick County Health Department's finances.

The Warrick County Health Department has oversight authority over Warrick County Animal Control.

Shortly after Barnes' arrest in December, the three-member Warrick County Commission moved to wrestle oversight authority of animal control from the health department, a decision that came against a backdrop of conflict between the commissioners and the department's staff and legal counsel.

ISP records state that in December a cooperating witness voiced concern that the commissioners, Dan Saylor, Terry Phillippe and Robert Johnson, attempted to gain oversight of animal control in order to conceal Barnes' alleged unlawful activities.

Multiple disputes between the Warrick County Health Department and the Warrick County Commission are now the subject of an ongoing lawsuit.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Former Warrick Co. Animal Control supervisor stole public funds