Former Warrick Co. Animal Control supervisor implicated in large scale puppy mill operation, police say

WARRICK CO., Ind. (WFIE) - New information has been released after the arrest of the former supervisor at Warrick County Animal Control.

Danielle Barnes was arrested back in December on felony charges of Theft and Possession of a Legend Drug.

Now, an affidavit shows that charges of Corrupt Business Influence, Conspiracy to Commit Theft, Official Misconduct, Ghost Employment and Misdemeanor Theft have been filed against her.

A witness who spoke with Indiana State Police accuses Barnes of transferring purebred dogs from the animal control to her non-profit Warrick Animal Guardians (WAG) and selling them.

According to the affidavit, Barnes was also accused of adding a $10 fee to all Warrick County spay and neuter services and pocketing the money.

Additionally, officers say she used county resources to vaccinate her nonprofit animals.

The witness reportedly told police there were a large number of Ketamine order forms missing, which are used to buy drugs and may have been forged by Barnes.

Barnes allegedly had numerous storage units full of drugs and vaccines paid for with county funds, according to the trooper.

Police say Barnes used county resources on behalf of her non-profit instead of using them for the responsibilities of the Warrick County Animal Control employees.

A substantial amount of documentation tracking the money and donations received from the public were simply missing, the affidavit states.

ISP reports that a large number of prescriptions had gone missing from the animal control.

The trooper says what was most concerning was the missing Ketamine and Fatal Plus, which can kill humans as well as animals.

The affidavit states that witness said they had seen large amount of drugs in storage units owned by Barnes as well as inside a refrigerator in her home’s basement.

Danielle Barnes wasn’t the only suspect accused of being involved as part of this criminal investigation.

A witness who spoke with police says another person was also heavily involved.

In March, one of the witnesses was reportedly ordered by Barnes to pick up four dogs from an involved party and take them back to Warrick County Animal Control.

The affidavit states the dogs were vaccinated and chipped, and then adopted by WAG, which was the non-profit ran by Barnes.

Police say the witness told the trooper they took the dogs back and transferred them to the person who originally had them.

ISP says the dogs were thereafter listed for sale on social media. Mutts were sent to other shelters for adoption, according to police.

Using the fair market value of vet services on the animals, troopers allege that Barnes and the involved party stole at least $100,000 from Warrick County.

Police say a witness did more research and found that more Warrick County Animal Control employees have fostered and or adopted hundreds of animals and appeared to be engaging in the same practice as Barnes.

One of which was Susan Broshears, who police say was employed at Warrick County Animal Control for five to seven years and adopted or fostered 57 animals from WAG.

Police reviewed Danielle Barnes timesheets and pointed out in the affidavit that she sold one of the animals while being paid by the county i.e., ghost employment.

The witness reportedly told police Barnes worked for WAG regularly while on-the-clock for Warrick County.

Indiana State Police believe Barnes and Broshears collected adoption fee money and deposited it into a WAG account or used it for personal gain instead of depositing it into the Warrick County Animal Control bank account.

According to an affidavit, a separate witness reached out to police and accused Barnes of being in a multi-state puppy mill, acquiring animals and selling them on the east and west coast, two where people pay top-dollar for purebred animals.

The witness reportedly implicated two other people, of which had been investigated by Homeland Security for running numerous pyramid schemes and fraud involving animals.

According to records from Warrick County Animal Control, over 1,000 animals had come in and out of their facility during 2022 and 2023. When detectives examined adoption fee records, they discovered only a handful of fees being paid to Warrick County Animal Control. Most adoption fees were never deposited into their bank account.

As of Sunday, officials say Barnes is still employed by Warrick County.

Both Danielle Barnes and Susan Broshears have been arrested as a result of this investigation. Broshears was arrested Friday afternoon without incident. She was taken to the Warrick County Jail where she posted bond and was released.

Broshears was charged with Official Misconduct, Ghost Employment, Conspiracy to Commit Theft and Misdemeanor Theft. Her mugshot is not readily available.

ISP says this is still an ongoing investigation, and an additional arrest is expected.

[SUGGESTED: Several members of Warrick County Board of Health fired at heated meeting]

[SUGGESTED: Warrick Co. Animal Control under criminal investigation, health dept. director fired]