Humane Society of El Paso terminates embattled executive director

The Humane Society of El Paso has terminated its executive director, who is facing theft and securities fraud charges in Ohio, according to a statement by the shelter’s chairwoman.

Luke Westerman turned himself in to authorities in Franklin County, Ohio, on Monday. He was arraigned in court, where he entered a plea of not guilty. His bond was set at $50,000, along with a recognizance bond of $20,000. Westerman posted bond for each, jail records show.

HSEP Chairwoman Elke Cumming emailed ABC-7 the following statement regarding Westerman’s termination:

“Earlier today, the Board of Directors of the Humane Society of El Paso formally terminated Luke Westerman as the organization’s executive director. While our initial investigations have yielded no evidence that his actions compromised the financial integrity of the organization, we are undertaking a in depth examination of all financial records. As in prior years, we are engaging our independent certified public accounting firm to conduct the annual audit of the 2018 financial statements.

Longtime Director of Operations Julie Rutledge has been appointed as the organization’s interim executive director while we begin the process of searching for a permanent executive director.

We recognize that the allegations against Mr. Westerman have shaken the community’s trust in the organization. We are committed to earning back the trust of the El Paso community which we have served for nearly seven decades as we move forward with our mission to prevent suffering, neglect, abuse and cruelty to animals, provide information, raise public awareness of animal issues, and promote responsible guardianship and kindness toward all living things.”

On December 27, 2018, a grand jury in Franklin County, Ohio indicted Westerman on 19 counts of theft and unlawful securities practices. Westerman was in charge of a venture capital firm that he founded in Columbus, Ohio, prior to coming to El Paso to work with the Humane Society in Dec. 2017.

Some of the allegations against Westerman were made in 2013.

Prosecutors say Westerman solicited more than $700,000 from ten residents in Ohio and allegedly misrepresented the status of the investments in false account statements. Authorities accuse him of using some of the funds – about $300,000 – for personal expenses.

In a statement sent to ABC-7, the Humane Society of El Paso Board of Directors said its own investigation has shown that Westerman, acting in his official capacity, has in no way compromised the financial integrity of the Humane Society of El Paso.

ABC-7 also received a statement from the former board president, Leticia Jimenez. Jimenez said that she resigned from the board in 2018 because she disagreed with how the board handled Westerman once they learned of his legal issues.

Jimenez said in her statement, “Unfortunately the Board did not wish to take further action. It is even tougher knowing that the Board received fair warning months ago and any damage to the Humane Society could have been mitigated.”

ABC-7 called Westerman seeking comment about the allegations against him, but has not heard back.

The charges against Westerman are first, second and third degree felonies. The two first-degree felonies against him carry a sentence of 3 to 11 years in prison if convicted.