The prosecutor of St. Louis spent weeks away from the office while in nursing school, the study found

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Former Democratic Attorney St. Louis’ Kim Gardner spent the equivalent of seven weeks in nursing school classes during business hours, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the state auditor.

The review by Republican Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick also found overstaffing, misuse of public funds and a sharp drop in cases filed, dismissed and closed before Gardner resigned under fire in 2023.

“In my opinion, the driving force was Kim Gardner’s failure to make her job as district attorney her priority,” Fitzpatrick told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The study found that Gardner spent “34.5 work days, or approximately 7 weeks” taking nursing school courses at Saint Louis University during business hours.

Gardner told auditors that she was pursuing a family nurse practitioner certification to “improve the office and bring mental health awareness” to the office.

The Associated Press left phone and email messages with Gardner’s attorneys on Tuesday.

Other issues cited in the audit include more than $58,000 in public funds spent on flowers, a disc jockey, car details, an office picnic, a chili cookout and Gardner’s legal fees.

Getting information from the office during Gardner’s tenure was difficult, according to auditors. Employees refused or delayed audit requests for two years until called, and “full access to documents, employees, and the office itself was only granted after new management took over,” according to the audit report.

Criticism of Gardner is not new.

When he resigned, he was targeted for removal by Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey. And GOP lawmakers have been considering a bill that would allow the Republican governor to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing most of Gardner’s responsibilities.

Gardner was part of a coalition of progressive prosecutors who demanded diversion to mental health or substance abuse treatment for low-level crimes, promised to hold police accountable, and sought to release wrongfully convicted prisoners.

Republican leaders have often criticized Gardner’s low conviction rate for murders, among other concerns. He often butted heads with the police and the Conservatives.

In 2018, Gardner sued former Governor Eric Greitens, then a rising star in GOP politics, for invasion of privacy, accusing him of taking a compromising photo of a woman during an affair. The case was eventually dropped. Greitens resigned in June 2018.

The prosecution of the case led to the conviction of Gardner’s investigator, and Gardner received a writ of censure from the Missouri Supreme Court for his office’s handling of documents in the case.

Gardner got into trouble after he ordered his employees to cash checks to pay a $5,004 fine related to that case, even though he wasn’t entitled to additional compensation. He agreed to pay back the money with his own funds to avoid federal prosecution.