$400,000 missing at NLV jail

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, May 5, 2004 | 11:37 a.m.

The top two administrators at the North Las Vegas Detention Center were placed on paid administrative leave Tuesday as city police announced more than $400,000 was stolen from inmate funds during a three-year period.

The investigation findings were turned over to the Clark County district attorney's office Tuesday, and District Attorney David Roger said it will take several weeks for his staff to review the material and decide whether anyone will face criminal charges.

Mayor Michael Montandon said detention center Chief Ken Ellingson and Assistant Chief Dan Lake are not suspected of stealing the money, but are being punished because they were ultimately responsible for the inmate accounts.

"The buck has to stop somewhere," Montandon said, adding that he supported the way City Manager Gregory Rose was handling the situation.

The supervisor who was responsible for the inmate accounts during the three years, Diana Thomspon, was fired in July. At that time city officials were aware of at least $156,000 missing from the accounts she oversaw, and a broader investigation was launched.

The missing $156,000 was discovered during a routine end-of-the-year audit of city finances for the 2001-02 fiscal year.

"Basically we had a single point of contact for the funds without a check and balance, and that person, Diana, was fired," the mayor said. "When we first heard of the missing money, we immediately terminated Diana."

Officially, Thompson was "terminated for violating North Las Vegas Detention Center policies and procedures with respect to standards of conduct and financial record-keeping," according to city records.

Thompson could not be reached for comment.

Since Thompson's firing the city has changed the way the inmate trust fund is handled, putting more than one person in charge of making sure the account is properly kept, the mayor said.

The inmate trust fund is made up of money that inmates bring with them to the detention center or money that is sent to inmates.

North Las Vegas Police Officer Tim Bedwell, spokesman for the department, said the nine-month investigation into inmate funds revealed more than $400,000 was stolen between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2003.

Bedwell said that at the request of prosecutors, police would not name any suspects, nor would they confirm nor deny whether anyone is a suspect.

He also would not say how the money was stolen, although a press release on the matter said the police investigation found "fraud, forgery and theft" from the fund.

City Manager Gregory Rose said how the missing money will be replaced is still to be decided.

Assistant Police Chief Joseph Forti was named acting Chief of Detention and Corrections, temporarily filling Ellingson's position.

Ellingson, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, is retiring July 12, a city statement said.

Lake said he hopes to return to work for the city.

"The city manager has a job to do and I hope he evaluates everything, and I hope he makes a good call on this one," Lake said.

Ellingson first came to work for the city in July 1978 and was promoted to chief of Detention and Corrections in 1992. His annual salary is $136,346, according to city records.

Lake was hired by the city in June 1995 and was promoted to assistant chief of Detention and Corrections in August 2002. His annual salary is $108,285, according to city records.

Thompson went to work for the city in March 1992 and was promoted to manager of the detention records division in October 1999. Her annual salary was $69,411 when she was fired, according to city records.