Former Warrick Co. Animal Control supervisor and one other facing new charges
The former supervisor of Warrick County Animal Control and a codefendant now face new charges in connection with a state police investigation into misappropriated public money and an alleged scheme to profit from the sale of unhoused dogs.
The Indiana State Police first arrested the former supervisor, Danielle Barnes, in December after troopers allegedly discovered a cache of stolen animal microchips and kitten vaccines while executing a search warrant at Barnes' home in Chandler.
On Friday, Indiana State Police arrested 50-year-old Susan Broshears, a former Warrick County Animal Control employee, alleging Broshears worked with Barnes to funnel money and animals from the county agency to a nonprofit Barnes operated, Warrick Animal Guardians.
Special Prosecutor Samantha Hurst, of the Perry County Prosecutor's Office, filed formal charges against Barnes and Broshears on Thursday:
Corrupt business influence, a Level 5 felony
Official misconduct, a Level 6 felony
Ghost employment, a Level 6 felony
Conspiracy to commit theft, a Level 6 felony
Two counts of theft, a Class A Misdemeanor
Barnes faces additional charges of theft and possession of a legend drug due to her arrest in December. After her arrest, some local animal advocates and animal welfare groups rallied to Barnes' defense.
As of Monday morning, Barnes was scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing on Feb. 9. Online court records did not yet state when Broshears would go before a judge.
In a news release published Sunday afternoon, ISP Evansville District spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle wrote that Barnes and Broshears leveraged their positions at Warrick County Animal Control for personal gain by charging improper fees for services and transferring custody of valuable, purebred dogs from animal control to Barnes' nonprofit, among other allegations.
"According to records from Warrick County Animal Control, more than 1,000 animals had come in and out of their facility during 2022 and 2023," Ringle wrote in the release. "When detectives examined adoption fee records, they discovered only a handful of fees being paid to Warrick County Animal Control. Most adoption fees were never deposited into their bank account."
Ringle described the investigation as "ongoing" and said he anticipates at least one more arrest will be made in connection with the case.
Please check back for updates.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Danielle Barnes of Warrick Animal Control facing new charges
