Former Boulder City Police Chief Bill Conger pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failure by a public officer to perform duty on Tuesday in Boulder Township Justice Court. Conger was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, which he paid immediately.
The charge stems from the former police chief’s decision to drop a criminal case against former Animal Control Supervisor Mary Jo Frazier, who was indicted March 3 on two felony counts of animal cruelty.
“It is an unfortunate circumstance that this all happened,” said Conger’s attorney Gus Flangas. “Mr. Conger felt it would be in everybody’s best interest to just make this plea and get this behind him.”
Conger refused to comment after the verdict but did make a statement through his lawyer.
“I wish the city of Boulder well in the future as well as the police department.”
Conger resigned unexpectedly in January amid the controversy surrounding the case against Frazier. As chief of police, he oversaw the city’s animal control department.
Boulder City Detective David Olson told the court on Feb. 17 in a grand jury investigation of Frazier that Conger ordered him to end his investigation of the animal shelter’s euthanasia policies and practices and leave his findings of missing money and drugs out of an affidavit.
Former Police Chief Tom Finn, who attended the hearing, said that justice was somewhat served.
“It was a misdemeanor so he was never going to go to jail for this,” Finn said. “But the people needed justice and a small measure of it was served.”
Finn said the professional embarrassment Conger endured is worse than any jail cell.
“He had a stellar career in Metro (Metropolitan Police Department in Las Vegas) before all this,” Finn said. “But how many times do you see a chief charged with not doing their job.”
Contact reporter Max Lancaster @bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow him on Twitter @MLancasterBCR