DEA probes former Boulder City shelter head accused of killing animals

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency is investigating a former Boulder City animal control supervisor in connection with missing euthanasia drugs.

The probe follows outrage in the community about former Police Chief Bill Conger’s April 2015 decision to drop a criminal investigation that resulted in charges against Mary Jo Frazier, who is accused of needlessly killing dozens of shelter animals.

Following Review-Journal reports in December the city reopened the investigation; a grand jury indicted Frazier on two counts of animal cruelty; detectives testified that Conger tried to bury the criminal case rather than look bad in light of his employee’s actions; and Conger resigned under pressure.

Now the city is following up on another allegation detectives say Conger didn’t want investigated.

Boulder City Manager David Fraser said in an emailed statement that the city contacted the DEA with concerns about how Frazier handled narcotics at the shelter.

Ann Inabnitt, the new animal control supervisor, testified that federal controls on the shelter drugs mandate the person handling them keep a detailed paper trail that is specific to the individual. Inabnitt testified that when Frazier ran the shelter, drugs were kept in a safe only Frazier had access to, and that only Frazier performed euthanasias.

Boulder Police Detective David Olson has testified that Conger told him to remove information about missing narcotics and missing money from case paperwork he had assembled. What he identified was not readily apparent in his grand jury testimony about alleged animal cruelty.

“That investigation is active and ongoing, so it would not be appropriate to provide additional details until it has been concluded,” Fraser said.

The DEA did not return a call requesting comment Monday. Conger has not returned a request for comment. Frazier’s attorney has said in court Frazier is adamant about her innocence.

The city in December 2015 asked the Clark County district attorney to prosecute Frazier on 37 counts of animal cruelty. A grand jury indicted Frazier on two counts of animal cruelty earlier this month. One count stems from the death of Frazier’s own dog; the other from her refusal to treat a pit bull puppy that had been abused. A trial on those charges is set for Sept. 12.

Conger has come under fire from Boulder City residents and even his own officers because of his decision to drop the case, and some activists say he should also be subject to a criminal investigation, including Stacia Newman, president of Nevada Political Action for Animals.

“It’s very disturbing. I think a lot of things were suppressed at the time and tried to be covered up,” Newman said. “I think (Conger) should be held responsible. He was in a position of authority and he should be accountable.”

When asked about reports of missing funds, Fraser said, “the police department has indicated that its preliminary findings showed no funds to be missing.”

According to Detective Olson’s notes from his investigation, a credit card machine was installed in the shelter because of concern about handling cash receipts, but Frazier declined to use it.

The city has been criticized recently for how it ensures the safety of city funds after an audit turned up a missing $50,000, prompting a criminal investigation. Annual financial reports posted to the city’s website show auditors identified deficiencies in the utility department’s accounting every year since the fiscal year that ended June 2011.

Conger has told the Review-Journal and the city that he acted as soon as allegations about Frazier were brought to his attention. The grand jury testimony undermines that claim. Conger also said he consulted with City Attorney David Olsen before deciding to drop the case, but Olsen told the Review-Journal that he and Conger never spoke about the case.

Conger has said he ordered the case dropped because he didn’t think it would go far and he didn’t see a point in pursuing it because Frazier had retired.

“People get in trouble and resign all the time,” Conger said in December.

In January, Conger himself resigned after his own staff went to human resources to complain that he had been untruthful in saying when he first learned about allegations against Frazier.

Inabnitt, whose panic over Frazier’s refusal to treat a pit bull puppy prompted the initial investigation last April, told a grand jury she had sounded the alarm about Frazier’s handling of shelter drugs in the spring of 2014.

Inabnitt testified that she told Conger that Frazier planned to doctor the shelter drug log after killing her own dog there. Inabnitt told the grand jury she feared a falsified drug log would put the city at risk, but Conger did not seem to understand.

Boulder City spokesman JC Davis said city investigators have found no “information or evidence implicating the former chief of police administration in criminal wrongdoing.”

Contact Bethany Barnes at bbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Find @betsbarnes on Twitter.