By Jeff German

Fri, May 2, 2008 (2 a.m.)

A veteran state agent who spearheaded the criminal investigation of Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki has announced his resignation amid an internal inquiry into the disappearance of large quantities of drugs and guns from a state evidence vault in Fallon.

Nevada Investigations Division Lt. John Drew, who was responsible for the security of the vault, is retiring effective July 1.

Drew has been on paid administrative leave since late February. Jerry Hafen suspended Drew just days after becoming director of the Nevada Public Safety Department, which oversees the Investigations Division. Hafen has said taking Drew off the Krolicki investigation has not had a major effect on the case.

Hafen said this week the internal investigation of problems at the vault is wrapping up and he expects to receive recommendations in the next couple of weeks. He would not say whether Drew’s resignation is tied to that investigation. Drew could not be reached for comment.

Hafen’s predecessor, Phil Galeoto, had promoted Drew to acting chief of the Investigations Division in the middle of the internal inquiry, a move that some said caused morale problems at the agency and ultimately spurred Galeoto’s own resignation.

Large amounts of methamphetamine and other drugs and as many as 90 guns were reported missing from the Fallon vault, which is used by Public Safety Department agencies, including the Investigations Division and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

The Nevada attorney general’s office is conducting a separate criminal investigation into the missing evidence.

The division’s yearlong investigation into whether Krolicki ordered the destruction of records as he ended his second term as state treasurer in December 2006 is also reported to be nearing its end in the next couple of weeks. State agents expect to soon turn over the evidence they’ve collected to the attorney general’s office, which will decide whether to file charges.

That inquiry was sparked by Krolicki’s Democratic successor as treasurer, Kate Marshall. Shortly after she took office, she complained to the attorney general that her efforts to clear up discrepancies in the $3.3 billion Nevada College Savings Plan were hampered by a lack of documents left by the Republican.

Krolicki has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insisted that the massive fund, created to help families save for college, was run efficiently during his tenure in the treasurer’s office.