Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner failed “to make her job as circuit attorney her top priority,” according to a report.
Republican Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick recently published a 71-page report along with a press release. The report supported an earlier statement by Fitzpatrick, in which he referred to Gardner as the leader of a disorganized operation while she pursued a nurse practitioner certification instead of focusing on her duties.
According to the state auditor’s office, the former Democratic prosecutor spent approximately seven weeks, equivalent to 34.5 working days, at her office during regular business hours working on her studies at Saint Louis University.
Fitzpatrick expressed his opinion to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, stating, “I believe that Kim Gardner’s failure to prioritize her job as a circuit attorney was the main issue at hand.”
In a Jan. 13, 2020, file photo, then-St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jim Salter)
Gardner told auditors that she was pursuing a family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate “to improve the office and bring mental health awareness” to the office.
She was part of a movement of progressive prosecutors who sought diversion to mental health treatment or drug abuse treatment for low-level crimes, pledged to hold police more accountable and sought to free incarcerated people who were wrongfully convicted.
Former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, right, and Ronald Sullivan, a Harvard law professor, arrive at the Civil Courts building on May 14, 2018. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Republican leaders often criticized Gardner for a low homicide conviction rate, among other concerns. She frequently butted heads with police and conservatives.
“Our audit report paints a clear picture of an office that was far better off before Kim Gardner took over and has quickly rebounded after her departure. Despite her efforts to stand in the way of the audit process, we were able to obtain the information necessary to give taxpayers the full story on the damage she did to the office,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
