REPUBLICANS FILE COMPLAINT AGAINST SEN. JERRY HOWARD

The Missouri Republican Party on Wednesday accused Democratic state Sen. Jerry Howard of Dexter, Mo., of failing to disclose his ownership of a condominium at Lake of the Ozarks in violation of a state financial disclosure law.

GOP political consultant David Barklage of Cape Girardeau said the Republican Party turned over information regarding the complaint to the Stoddard County prosecuting attorney's office Wednesday afternoon.

Barklage said Howard bought a condominium at Lake of the Ozarks in 1993 but never disclosed it on annual financial disclosure reports. He leveled the accusation at a series of news conferences Wednesday in the Southeast Missouri cities of Sikeston, Dexter, Kennett and Poplar Bluff.

At the news conferences, he also announced that Missouri Republican Party spokesman Daryl Duwe has filed a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission alleging financial wrongdoing against Howard regarding reimbursement of telephone expenses.

Regarding the condominium, Barklage said Howard should have disclosed the property beginning with the 1994 disclosure report and in subsequent annual reports.

According to state law, Barklage said, Howard could face one misdemeanor and six separate felony charges.

Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn couldn't be reached for comment.

Howard's campaign manager, Kevin Gallagher, dismissed the GOP accusations.

"It is just sleazy," he said.

Howard said in a written statement that the charges are politically motivated. He said he helped his stepson secure the condominium at the Lake of the Ozarks.

"I do not consider this my property and did not think my name was on the title," he wrote. "Therefore, I did not report it."

Duwe filed the complaint to the Ethics Commission Monday in Jefferson City, Mo. Duwe first filed a complaint with the attorney general's office earlier this month on behalf of the Republican Party. The attorney general's office turned it over to the Ethics Commission, which told the Republicans complaints must be filed by individuals.

The complaint alleges that Howard converted about $1,200 in campaign contributions over the past three years to his personal use in violation of state law.

Barklage said Howard's campaign paid telephone bills incurred by the senator over the past three years. Howard was reimbursed $4,488 by the state, $1,252 more than he turned over to his campaign, Barklage said financial records show.

"In a nutshell, Sen. Howard is stealing from his own campaign contributors," Barklage said. "That's why this kind of scheme is against the law."

But Howard wrote that any financial discrepancies are a matter of financial reporting errors.

"We have already found a $408 check that was deposited but inadvertently left off a report," Howard wrote. He expects the remaining $800 also will be found to be the result of "human errors."

The Ethics Commission has 90 days to investigate the complaint and issue a ruling. If warranted, the commission could send the matter to the attorney general's office or the county prosecutor for prosecution, a spokeswoman with the commission office said.

At the news conferences, Barklage also said that Howard spent $53,000 in taxpayers' money in the past 10 years for "junkets" to Puerto Rico, Las Vegas, Hawaii and other places.

Barklage didn't question the legality of the trip expenses but said it showed Howard's attitude regarding the spending of tax money.

Howard said all of the trips were for legislative conferences, which Republicans also attended. All of the travel expenses were approved by a legislative committee, he said.

Howard said he intends to cooperate with any official investigation of his finances.