ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis City NAACP branch is urging the Missouri Auditor to release an audit report that he claims is delayed because the office hasn’t tracked down former Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.
Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said Monday in a news release that auditors have tried to contact Gardner over the last several months and have tried to serve her with a subpoena to complete the audit. Her whereabouts are unknown to his office, according to the news release.
The St. Louis NAACP shared a statement Tuesday with FOX 2, describing the delay as “a shocking display of bureaucratic inertia” and “procedural mismanagement.”
The NAACP argues that Gardner is not obligated to answer any questions in connection with an audit report, even with the subpoena. They contend that the subpoena “raises serious doubts about the Auditor’s Office’s commitment to transparency and its ability to conduct independent and timely audits.”
Gardner, a Democrat, stepped down last May as the St. Louis Circuit Attorney after several legal battles and calls to resign. She was frequently criticized by Republican leaders, who cited low rates of convictions for violent crimes and high office turnover. Gardner was first elected in 2016 to become the city’s first Black circuit attorney.
Fitzpatrick said his predecessor, Democrat Nicole Galloway, first sought records from Gardner’s office in 2021 as part of a citywide audit requested by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.
Fitzpatrick said he served a subpoena on Gardner last year that resulted in some requested documents, but not others. He says that state auditors have reached out to Gardner’s lawyers, made daily calls to phone numbers believed to be associated with her, contacted former co-workers and made several attempts to serve her with a subpoena — all unsuccessfully.
The NAACP says the auditor’s delays raise “serious concerns about transparency and accountability within the state’s legal system.”
The last paragraph in a statement sent to FOX 2 reads as the following:
“We call on the Missouri Auditor to immediately release the audit report on the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office without further delay – Put Up or Shut UP – anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust and a disservice to the people of Missouri.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to parts of this story.