Santa Fe County is out an estimated $73,364 because of items former Sheriff Greg Solano stole from the county and sold on eBay, according to an independent audit.

The audit of Solano's eBay account and of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office, released Friday by State Auditor Hector Balderas, not only tallied up a dollar figure for the county's losses, but also slams the oversight of evidence and equipment, including ammunition, at the Sheriff's Office.

"We noted there is an overall lack of policies and procedures at the (Sheriff's Office)," stated the audit, which was conducted by Albuquerque-based Moss Adams LLP.

Balderas said he was "deeply troubled that an elected official repeatedly betrayed the public trust" and said the Sheriff's Office has a "high risk" for theft and embezzlement.

The audit, which covered Dec. 15, 2004 to Dec. 15, 2010, cost the county $64,200, according to Helen Perraglio, an accounting manager with the county.

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Read the independent audit of the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office

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Matt Chandler, the Clovis-based district attorney who has been assigned as the special prosecutor in the case, said Friday he "doesn't want the people of Santa Fe County to pay anything for all this," including the cost of the independent audit, and will seek compensation from Solano.

The audit states Solano "periodically overrode controls by walking in and out of the evidence locker room area without signing in/out."

Solano resigned in November and admitted to taking county items and selling them on eBay. He was arrested in January and charged with 251 counts of embezzlement and one count of fraud. He is trying to reach a plea agreement to avoid jail time.

While he initially said that he sold used bulletproof vests to families of men and women working in the Middle East, review of Solano's eBay account showed he also was selling new county-owned office supplies, new and used cellphones, and other police items such as handcuffs, flashlights, police scanners and gun holsters.

Sheriff Robert Garcia, who was Solano's undersheriff for almost eight years, said the audit's criticism was harsh and, while not disagreeing with the findings entirely, said he doesn't want the audit to paint a picture of a "free-for-all" going on with evidence and inventory in his office.

"The free-for-all in this case was by one man at the highest level," Garcia said. "I trust my people."

Garcia also took a preemptive swing at lawyers who might seek to use the audit's criticisms of how the department maintains criminal evidence.

"My evidence room is not compromised," Garcia said. "I don't want this to be a floodgate opening for defense attorneys."

The audit seems to agree with Garcia's contention that much of the problem arose from an office full of people who trusted their boss.

"According to (Sheriff's Office) management, they were all shocked with the fraud and they feel that the biggest risk area that exists is: Trust," the audit states. "They stated that the former sheriff betrayed their trust. The County should take future action ... to 'trust but verify' that management's objectives are met and to take appropriate action for inappropriate behavior."

In addition to the audit shedding light on numerous concerns for inventory and evidence at the Sheriff's Office, it may have also sped up the process for Solano's criminal trial. Chandler, the special prosecutor, has said he and defense attorneys couldn't really get going on a plea deal until the audit gave him a good bottom-line dollar figure.

Solano's attorney, Brooke Gamble, said in an open court hearing in May that "Our intent is to enter a plea."

While attorneys won't discuss the ongoing plea negotiations, and Chandler hasn't said whether he will insist on jail time, The New Mexican has learned the two parties are currently haggling over restitution costs.

Telephone messages left Friday afternoon with Solano attorneys Gamble and Tom Clark were not returned, and in a text message, the former sheriff said, "I can't comment."

The audit's more worrying findings were with the department's evidence room.

Among them:

• Solano and one sergeant periodically overrode controls by walking in and out of the evidence locker room area without signing in and out.

• There were times when staff were ordered to release property without the proper paperwork completed and signed off.

• The county does not have a scale to weigh drugs upon arrival for inventories or verification.

• The sheriff does not maintain a listing of keys and master keys issued.

As for office supplies, the department before this incident had an "open access" policy for all office supplies.

Solano's eBay records show he sold dozens of printer ink cartridges, unopened cases of blank CDs and other office supplies.

There is also a noted backlog of evidence yet to be inventoried at the Sheriff's Office, an issue County Manager Katherine Miller said Friday would be addressed by the recent funding of a full-time position for the Sheriff's Office to help the evidence custodian.

Solano has a status conference hearing scheduled Monday in State District Judge Stephen Pfeffer's court. Chandler said Friday that he will likely "appear by phone."

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3076 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at SantaFeCrime.com.