No criminal wrongdoing was found in a months-long investigation into allegations of animal abuse and misused funds in Louisville Metro Animal Services, Mayor Greg Fischer's office said on Friday.
The inquiry, led by the Louisville Metro Police Public Integrity Unit, found "no criminal wrongdoing or neglect regarding a dog in the care of Louisville Metro Animal Services that was surrendered by its owner," the mayor's office said.
Mayor Greg Fischer called for the investigation in August. It followed a report in The Ville Voice on alleged animal cruelty within Animal Services against a pit bull—named Sadie—that led to the dog's death, and misuse of funds donated to help care for the dog.
Steve Haag, a spokesman for the Louisville Metro Council Republican Caucus, said Republican council members question the language within the investigation's findings.
"They used the term 'willingly' and'intentionally'—but what they don't use is the work knowingly," he said. "Yes, maybe nobody wanted to hurt this dog, but did they know the dog was hurt?"
“This investigation was both thorough and complete,” Police Chief Steve Conrad wrote in a letter to Fischer.
Conrad wrote "investigators could find no evidence to support the allegations that members of LMAS intentionally or wantonly caused injury to the dog" and that an "independent review of the internal documents maintained by LMAS and found no criminal activity regarding the funds collected on behalf of the dog.”
The Jefferson County Attorney's Office and the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorney's Office also participated in the investigation.
At the time of the alleged incidents LMAS was headed by Margaret Brosko, who has since been removed from that post and assigned to the Mayor's communication team.
In December, a Metro Council special panel found that LMAS knowingly neglected and injured the pit bull.
Some Metro Council members, though, are now looking forward to being able to review the findings of the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office as well as the Public Integrity Unit.
"We look forward to reading the work of two other bodies to get answers to some of the questions that we weren’t allowed to investigate," said Council members Kelly Downard (R-16) and Cindi Fowler (D-14) in a joint statement issued to media.
