The Sheriff in Southeast Georgia's Camden County has donated $100,000 to an Atlanta university, even though local and federal policies say, he shouldn't.
Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith was already under fire for using inmate labor on private building projects, despite a law banning the practice, and for paying the inmates from a fund that's only supposed to be used for law enforcement purposes. Now, the Sheriff says, he used money from that same account toward a scholarship at Georgia State University.
County Commissioners are outraged Smith spent the money in spite of both the federal policy and a local one requiring a county co-signer on all checks from the so-called seized assets account.
The Sheriff's spokesman, Lt. William Terrell, responded, "They attended the ceremonies when we gave out these scholarships and no one had an objectiont about it at that time. Not once did they ever object."
County commissioners have gone to court to wrest control of the account in question. They say, the Sheriff is out of control.
Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith was already under fire for using inmate labor on private building projects, despite a law banning the practice, and for paying the inmates from a fund that's only supposed to be used for law enforcement purposes. Now, the Sheriff says, he used money from that same account toward a scholarship at Georgia State University.
County Commissioners are outraged Smith spent the money in spite of both the federal policy and a local one requiring a county co-signer on all checks from the so-called seized assets account.
The Sheriff's spokesman, Lt. William Terrell, responded, "They attended the ceremonies when we gave out these scholarships and no one had an objectiont about it at that time. Not once did they ever object."
County commissioners have gone to court to wrest control of the account in question. They say, the Sheriff is out of control.
