PORT ANGELES — Scott Chandler was forced to resign Jan. 11 as executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society after he admitted buying the painkiller Tramadol — administered to both people and animals — with the organization’s funds, Chandler and board president Jack Thornton said Thursday in separate interviews.
Chandler, who said he suffers chronic pain from a serious childhood injury and is addicted to prescription drugs, said he bought $47.97 in pills with the Humane Society’s money, then reimbursed the private nonprofit organization’s bank account.
“I did not steal anything,” he said.
“I was given the option to resign or be fired. I chose to resign in the best interests of the animals.”
Thornton, a Port Angeles veterinarian, said he did not know the value of the drugs Chandler purchased, but described the pills as worth “not very much money.”
Meeting today
The board will gather today in a meeting not open to the public to discuss “damage control” related to Chandler’s resignation, Thornton said.
Thornton did not know when a new director would be hired. Humane Society Animal Shelter Manager Renee Beaulieu is the acting director for now.
Executive director since 2007, Chandler was given the choice to resign or be fired at a Jan. 11 board meeting after a shelter employee told the board that he suspected Chandler had a drug problem, Thornton and Chandler said.
Chandler, 49, said Thursday that he is addicted to painkillers, is in a 12-step recovery program and is seeking government-funded treatment because neither he nor his wife, Nita, have jobs.
Chandler said he used the Humane Society account to buy three bottles of 100 pills each at the wholesale price of $15.99 a bottle — far cheaper, he added, than the retail price of $30 for 20 pills that he normally paid.
“I did use my position and access to that wholesale account that we had to purchase those drugs,” he said.
‘Error in judgment’
Buying the Tramadol through the organization “was a gross error in judgment on my part,” Chandler added.
“I made sure the money went back in and was counted as donations and shelter funds, and was strictly for my own personal use.
“I never distributed it to anyone or gave it sold to anyone or anything like that.”
Chandler said that neither he nor his wife, who has multiple sclerosis and needs $2,200 in medication monthly, have a regular income now that he is no longer working.
He can’t collect unemployment as a result of his agreement to resign, he said, adding that the couple lacks health insurance.
Chandler said he was given the ultimatum because he has a drug problem, not because he purchased the drugs on the organization’s account.
His drug dependence grew from an injury he suffered at age 13 when his ankle was crushed during a fall from a hay ride, he said.
“I have a drug addiction,” Chandler said. “I was spiraling pretty badly.
“In a lot of ways, this was probably one of the best things to happen,” he said of the loss of his job.
“It probably saved my life.”
Shelter contracts
The Humane Society board of directors already has its plate full as it prepares to approve delayed 2010 animal shelter contracts with Clallam County and the cities of Port Angeles and Sequim, Thornton said.
Combined, the contracts are expected to total more than $150,000, according to totals supplied by County Administrator Jim Jones and Humane Society board vice president Sue Miles, who is helping negotiate the contract with the county.
The county contract is “very close” to being signed, Miles said Thursday.
When board meets today, it will discuss those spending plans, but also will focus on a bigger picture clouded by Chandler’s resignation, Thornton said.
“Right now, what we have to do, we’ve got to line up our priorities,” he said.
Calls for audit
“We need an audit. The budget isn’t adding up.”
Thornton said the Humane Society board gave Chandler “free reign” with the budget, accusing Chandler of “overspending.”
“He bought a number of things he shouldn’t have.
“He bought antibiotics that were unrealistic. I wish he would have checked with me.”
Chandler said there was evidence that the antibiotics in question reduced mortality rates among cats suffering from upper respiratory infections, which are rampant in animal shelters.
“As for overspending, I would tend to disagree,” Chandler said, adding the Humane Society “was in the black” at the end of 2009.
He said his addiction did not affect his work performance, but that it made him sullen and withdrawn at home and that he was under great stress working long hours at the shelter.
Chandler said he is not considering legal action against the Humane Society but has consulted an attorney.
“I want to make sure my rights are protected,” he said.
Chandler said he is unsure about his future — but hopes to find employment on the North Olympic Peninsula.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
