MARK KIESLING: Drug Free Alliance also faces state scrutiny

Fiscal problems detected in a recently-released audit are not limited to the Lake County Sheriff's Department.

The State Board of Accounts audit released nearly a week ago, the subject of several columns this weekend, also is critical of the Lake County Drug Free Alliance.

County officials involved during this year include not only former Sheriff Roy Dominguez -- who declined didn't return calls seeking comment -- but also Prosecutor Bernard Carter, former County Councilman Tom O'Donnell and former County Board of Commissioners President Fran DuPey.

"We found the county to be in noncompliance with the required percentages in both budgeted accounts and actual expenditures," the audit said.

What was kind of interesting, though, was that when the state agency discussed the audit on Aug. 31 with Dominguez, Carter and current Sheriff John Buncich, only Dominguez brought an attorney.

But that might be just, well, whatever.

Some of the strange and fascinating expenditures made by the Lake County Drug Free Alliance in 2009 and 2010 included:

• A $3,819.96 tab for lunch at Meyer's Castle in Dyer on Dec. 14, 2009, "but no indication of the attendees or business purpose." That's $31.09 each for 110 lunches unaccounted for, given the subtraction of the $400 rental fee.

• At the New Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville, on Oct.5, 2009, the alliance spent $1,289 for 85 breakfasts with "no indication as to the type of training or (who) attended."

• On Aug. 11, 2009, the alliance dropped $2,500 on the Puerto Rican Parade and Cultural Organization of Northwest Indiana Inc., with "no indication as to how it would be used."

• The Old Sheriff's House Foundation in Crown Point on Aug. 27, 2010, got $3,000 from the alliance with "no indication as to how these funds would be used."

The law is pretty specific about how the alliance's money is to be spent: Prevention of drug abuse, intervention for known abusers and post-release assistance for those wishing to remain drug free.

The lack of accountability resulted in an already reported-on action by the Governor's Commission for a Drug Free Indiana to shut down the Lake County alliance's funds last November.

The State Board of Accounts noted that $3,000 was given in a grant to an agency the reviewer could not locate "because the applicant did not attend the meetings."

That's pretty sweet. Make the application, don't bother showing up to explain how you plan to use the money, yet get $3,000 anyhow.

It's fairly amazing that this stuff goes on, but as a soon-to-be former governor of Indiana once observed of Lake County, it deserves all the bad government it votes for.

The opinions are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at mark.kiesling@nwi.com or (219) 933-4170.