By Charlotte Hsu (contact)

Thu, Oct 2, 2008 (5:23 p.m.)

Four College of Southern Nevada employees are on paid leave a week after they were indicted on charges related to the construction of a college administrator’s home using college materials and workers.

The future of the four workers -- Associate Vice President of Facilities Management William “Bob” Gilbert, facility manager Matthew Goins, construction inspector George Casal and construction manager Thad Skinner -- is uncertain.

A county grand jury indicted Gilbert last week on charges that included stealing CSN materials and equipment to build his Mount Charleston home. Goins and Casal are accused of working on Gilbert’s property while on college time. Goins and Skinner allegedly brought construction materials CSN purchased to Gilbert’s home.

Bart Patterson, legal counsel for the Nevada System of Higher Education, said he could not comment on individual personnel cases. But he added, “You kind of have three options in this kind of a situation.”

When employees are indicted, colleges can keep them on paid leave until the criminal process is completed, or negotiate with them to end their employment on mutually agreed upon terms, Patterson said. Schools can also investigate employees and take disciplinary action if an investigation determines misconduct has occurred, he said.

CSN undertook an investigation of Gilbert in 2007, having campus police compare serial numbers on materials and equipment on Gilbert’s property with serial numbers on materials and equipment the college owned. No matches turned up, according to the school’s president at the time, Richard Carpenter.