Sheriff Gives Money Back To Drug Dealers

IS Sheriff Smith The Biggest Drug Dealer In Camden?


From:

The Florida Times-Union

July 27, 2007
Records: Drug money pays inmates

By Paul Pinkham, The Times-Union

WOODBINE - Confiscated drug money returned to Camden County by federal authorities for investigations and other police purposes was used by Sheriff Bill Smith to pay criminals thousands of dollars since 2004, county records show.

The top recipient, convicted methamphetamine maker William D. Murrell, received $2,600 - $50 a week - while in jail last year awaiting transfer to state prison, according to balance sheets from the sheriff's federal shared-asset accounts. The information was obtained by the Times-Union under Georgia's Open Records Act.
Murrell, who spent nearly two years after his conviction in the Camden County jail before Smith transferred him to state prison, also received $1,150 in 2004. Murrell was paroled July 18.
Records for 2005 couldn't be located, county officials said.
At least a dozen other inmates, many of them facing drug charges, also received regular $50 payments in 2004 and 2006, and additional names listed on the sheets appeared to be jail inmates but couldn't be verified Thursday in court files.
Smith also donated $5,000 from the 2006 shared-asset account to a nonprofit spinal cord center in Atlanta and used $2,500 to reimburse an employee for getting a nursing license. County auditors questioned those expenditures, along with three unidentified disbursement totalling $16,000.
Nearly $570,000 in drug proceeds seized by Smith's department was returned to him last year by the U.S. Treasury Department, which processes and redistributes confiscated assets.
Smith was out of the office Thursday, and department spokesman William Terrell said he couldn't comment on the payments or what they were for because of a pending Georgia Bureau of Investigation probe of jail inmate labor. Terrell said he believes the GBI may be reviewing some of the same expenditures.
Smith denied a Times-Union request to view more detailed information about the accounts, saying it could compromise pending criminal investigations.
But County Commissioner Steve Berry calculated that Smith used more than $20,000 from the shared asset accounts to pay for inmate labor in 2004 and 2006. Berry said he plans to ask that commissioners take over management of those accounts from the sheriff.
"I don't think there's any question that needs to be done," Berry said. "This is tied in now with the inmate labor abuse. It's bad enough that the prisoners are working on private property. Now the sheriff's using federal drug money to pay them for it."
A Treasury Department spokeswoman wouldn't answer specific questions Thursday but referred to written guidelines. Those rules say the money should be used only for law enforcement purposes such as training, investigations, equipment, jails and drug awareness.
The money isn't to be used for expenses not related to law enforcement or for political or extravagant expenditures and cannot be used for any purpose not stated when the money is applied for, according to the guidelines.
This isn't the first time Smith has been questioned about expenditures from seized assets accounts.
The issue was raised during Smith's re-election campaign in 2004, when his opponent criticized the sheriff for giving money from the fund to local civic organizations and $250,000 for a scholarship at The Citadel, Smith's alma mater in South Carolina. The sheriff called those legitimate expenditures at the time.
Auditors hired by the county last year said the Sheriff's Office didn't provide documentation for three transactions totaling $16,133 and spent $7,500 on "what appears to be unallowed purposes," including a $5,000 donation to the Shepherd Center.
Camden County jail inmates have worked on a two-bedroom house on Cumberland Island where people with spinal cord injuries like those treated by the Shepherd Center can stay. The Shepherd Center is applying for a building permit for the project, which, contrary to county ordinances, started and continued until recently without one.
Auditors recommended that the county consider establishing a committee to review the uses of federal shared asset funds, but the auditors' report said that idea was rejected.
"This is why there are rules, so we don't get into these messes," Berry said. "But the Sheriff's Office doesn't believe in rules."
paul.pinkham@jacksonville.com,
(904 ) 359-4107
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672


TRSP REVIEW: I TOLD YOU SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To Recall Or Not To Recall That Is The Question?

Posted on Sandy's Blog as well:

OK I have talked to Judge Gillette on this very topic of recalling Sears. Here is what needs to happen:
Someone from District 4 must go see Judge Gillette and pick up the application for a petition for recall. This must be filled out first. Gillette suggested we have an attorney. (Mr. Berry care to donate your services) Then after filling it out you take that back and Gillette will issue the petition and there is a whole lot of little things that he will explain to you.

He said that all in all it is a fairly simple process so maybe we wouldn't need the lawyer.

So I am willing to help we will have to collect about 100 signatures or so.That shouldn't be to hard.
Let me know what I can do and Good luck To you all in District 4

Sheriff Is Searching For Leaker

From:
The Florida Times-Union
July 26, 2007Stress test talk ends in budget cut for sheriff
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union
KINGSLAND, Ga. - Sheriff Bill Smith is requiring some deputies to submit to voice stress tests to determine who has been talking to the FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and news media about his office, a Camden County commissioner said.
Commissioner Steve Berry made the claim at a meeting Tuesday in which commissioners voted 3-1 to slash the budget for the Camden County Sheriff's Office by $1.3 million.
Berry used the voice stress tests as an example of how Smith is unnecessarily spending taxpayer dollars for purposes that have nothing to do with public safety.
When asked how he learned about the voice stress tests, which work similarly to polygraph tests, Berry said he received a phone call from a deputy who had just been required to take the voice analysis.
The tests were conducted Monday and Tuesday, he said.
"They've spent the past two days trying to ferret out who has been talking to the GBI, FBI and the press," he said after Tuesday's meeting.
Smith said he had just returned to his office Wednesday afternoon and didn't "have a chance to think about" the commission's vote cutting his budget.
Smith said he was in a conference and had no time to answer any more questions. He referred other questions to Lt. William Terrell.
"No decisions have been made one way or the other," Terrell said of the budget. "We will consider all of our options."
Capt. Wesley Walker said Wednesday he couldn't comment if Berry's claims were accurate.
"We are currently conducting an internal investigation within the Sheriff's Office," Walker said. "That's all I can say at this point."
Berry also said at the meeting that Smith has used inmate labor to work on his own property.
He described the inmate labor program as "an utter, total failure" and accused the Sheriff's Office of "corruption at the upper level of that department."
"It's fraud, waste and abuse," Berry said.
Berry said he learned about inmate labor working on property owned by Smith from eyewitnesses.
"I have been talking to people who have personal involvement in this," Berry said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I have talked to people - inmates and deputies - who have first-hand knowledge of it."
When asked about Berry's claims about inmate labor, Walker said he couldn't comment on anything to do with the issue "because inmate labor [from the Camden County Jail] is part of an ongoing investigation with the GBI."
The purpose of Tuesday's special-called meeting was for commissioners to vote on the sheriff's portion of the annual budget, which was tabled last week after elected officials voted to approve the rest of the county's budget.
Commissioners had asked the sheriff's office to trim the $8.3 million budget he submitted for consideration at a meeting held July 17. Instead, sheriff's officials turned in another $8.3 million budget request for consideration.
Walker told commissioners before the vote his office had made all the cuts they could make before resubmitting the proposed budget.
Berry, however, criticized the sheriff's office for spending more than $9 million the previous fiscal year, even though the office submitted a $7.6 million budget that was approved by commissioners a year ago.
"Now, you want a $700,000 increase over what your department was budgeted last year," he said. "The problem here is you've got a budget out of control. I've never heard you folks talking about cutting this budget."
Early in the debate, Commissioner David Rainer made a motion to approve the proposed $8.3 million budget. But later in the meeting, Berry made an amended motion to approve a $7 million budget - $1.3 million less than requested by the Sheriff's Office.
"I think it's the right thing to do," he said. "We're going to take it out of the hide of the people who created this problem."
Commissioner David Rainer suggested the budget could be reduced over a longer time period, but Berry disagreed.
"If you cut the dog's tail one inch at a time, you've got a problem," he said. "Whack it all off at one time."
Berry's motion was approved 3-1, with commission chairman Preston Rhodes and commissioner Katherine Zell voting in support of the $7 million budget. Rainer voted against the motion. Commissioner Charlene Sears abstained from the vote because her full-time job in the Sheriff's Office would be a conflict of interest.
The lower budget means Camden County taxpayers will see no increase in their property taxes, commissioners said.
After the meeting Sears said, "Get ready for court," as she left the meeting room.
Berry, who was among those who heard Sears' comment, said it was "a typical comment for the commissioner who represents the district of Bill Smith."
"She can no longer really function as a commissioner representing the voters in District 4," he said. "She has completely, utterly sold her soul to Bill Smith."
Sears did not respond to four phone calls Wednesday for comment.
Walker said he was uncertain how the Sheriff's Office will respond to the budget cut by commissioners. One option is layoffs for some staff. Another possibility is a lawsuit against the county to force funding to cover the costs of providing an adequate level of protection for residents, he said.
"We are not happy with that," Walker said of the vote. "Voting 3-1, we're going to have to live with $7 million."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

Camden County Getting National Attention, Not Good For Sheriff

From the Denver Post:
trashing the truth


Key evidence goes missing in Georgia church murders

By Susan Greene Denver Post Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: 07/24/2007 09:05:58 PM MDT


Sheriff's deputies were so eager to solve the murders of a southern Georgia church deacon and his wife that they sent a key piece of evidence - a pair of eyeglasses - to "Unsolved Mysteries" to film on TV.
As the state's lead investigator on the case tells it, the glasses were never returned.
"They're still laying out there in a studio somewhere in TV-land," said former Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent Joe Gregory.
Without the glasses or most physical evidence from the crime scene, Camden County officials still convicted Dennis Perry, who enjoyed 20/20 vision and had no need for a prescription to correct extreme far-sightedness.
Twenty-two years after the murders, it remains itself an unsolved mystery whose
face the glasses fell off and whether Perry - now serving two life sentences - really killed Harold and Thelma Swain.
One evening in March 1985, a stranger interrupted bible study at Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Spring Bluff, Georgia, and asked to speak with Harold Swain, a leader in the local African-American community.
The white young man with shoulder-length hair scuffled with Swain, then shot him fatally in the chest and head, witnesses said. Thelma Swain ran to help her husband and also was shot dead.
In the bloody vestibule sheriff's deputies found the pair of metal glasses, its right ear piece wrapped in tape, its frame pocked with what appeared to be welding spatter and its hinges holding two Caucasian hairs. Because it didn't belong to either victim, investigators concluded it must have been the shooter's.
The case remained cold when "Unsolved Mysteries" filmed a segment about it in 1988. As Gregory tells it, producers "contacted Sheriff Bill Smith and wanted those glasses" for the show.
"Without asking anybody, he just up and sent them out there which totally broke the chain of custody in this case," Gregory said.
Smith, who is still sheriff, did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Gregory said he never saw the glasses after host Robert Stack appeared on camera holding them in his bare hands.
"These are the glasses found on that night . Were they dropped by the killer?" said Stack, his voice gravelly and grave.
The show triggered hundreds of tips.
One came from Camden County resident Jane Beaver who said a composite sketch of the shooter looked like Dennis Perry, a boy her daughter used to date. Beaver said that Perry had phoned her daughter the weekend before the murder to say he was visiting his grandparents' home in the Swains' neighborhood.
Investigators initially cleared Perry as a suspect after establishing that he was at work hours away near Atlanta the day of the killings. Also, Vanzola Williams - the witness who got the best look at the shooter - did not pick him out of a photo line-up.
Instead, she pointed to another suspect, Donnie Barrentine.
Perry "didn't do it, plain and simple, and that's why we cleared him," Gregory said.
"Unsolved Mysteries" went into re-runs and Beaver continued through the 1990s calling the show's phone center pointing at Perry. She also went further, showing his picture to the church ladies who were the main witnesses to the murders.
Thirteen years after the killings, Sheriff Smith hired a special investigator to work exclusively on solving the cold case.
Following Beaver's lead, investigator Dale Bundy pursued Perry as a suspect. Bundy said Perry admitted to the murders the day of his arrest.
Perry tells it differently.
"Dale Bundy started elaborating the story, with me saying 'I don't know.' He was trying to put words in my mouth," he said.
Bundy declined comment.
Sheriff's deputies have no tapes showing Perry confessed, according courtroom testimony.
And by the time of his trial, they could not account for the missing glasses.
"They remain, as of this moment, not any longer in existence," Chief Assistant District Attorney John Johnson wrote in 2001.
Robert Stack died in 2003. An "Unsolved Mysteries" producer told The Post she doesn't know what happened to the glasses or whether the pair on TV were actual evidence or a prop.
Had the glasses been preserved, they likely would have pointed to the Swains' killer, Gregory and others say.
Johnson, the prosecutor, downplays the importance of the glasses, saying, "They might, they might not have had anything to do with the case."
Also missing were a metal phone box with visible fingerprints investigators believe the shooter left when he cut the phone lines outside the church; a mirror from the church vestibule; tapes of witness interviews; photos of the crime scene; photos of police line-ups; and investigators' notes documenting that Perry had been at work six hours away the day of the murders.
"It's physically impossible to be at two places at one time. Even if he had a jet plane at his disposal he couldn't have done it," Gregory said.
At trial, Jane Beaver's daughter, Carol Ann, poked holes in her mother's testimony by saying she didn't know whether Perry was in Camden County the week of the murders, 13 years earlier. She testified that Bundy "was insinuating I knew more than I did and I didn't know anything."
The jury never heard the evidence that may have helped Perry most.
The hairs caught in the mysterious glasses had been preserved and tested for DNA before trial. Results showed no match to Perry. His lawyers didn't enter them into evidence because they also didn't match Barrentine, the alternate suspect on whom they based their defense strategy.
Vanzola Williams identified the North Florida man out of a lineup shortly after the murders. And three witnesses testified that, shortly after the shootings, Barrentine bragged at a party about having killed a black couple in a South Georgia church.
Though Barrentine was the prime suspect the year of the murders, District Attorney Glenn Thomas wouldn't grant a warrant for his arrest because he deemed the witnesses at the party to be "dope-heads and prostitutes."
Before Perry's trial, prosecutors gave Barrentine immunity in exchange for his testimony, in which he said he didn't kill the Swains.
Five years later, Johnson said he "can't remember" why he wrote in the immunity grant that "Donnie Barrentine was a witness to the death of Harold and Thelma Swain" and that Barrentine "was present at the scene."
"At this point, I can't answer that question," he said. "We wrote it that way and we went forward with it. That's all I can tell you at this point."
Before trial, Perry refused a plea deal offering him reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter and 12 years in prison. Then he was convicted, facing execution until he agreed to two life sentences in exchange for waiving his rights to all appeals.
"Everything was snatched out from under me," said Perry, who lost his construction business, his double-wide mobile home and his wife.
Now serving his seventh year behind bars, Perry, 45, is unable to stem the flow of his tears.
"I can't believe I'm sitting here getting choked up about...glasses," he said, sobbing in his prison whites. "But how do they lose evidence in a capital case? How do whole boxes of evidence slip through their fingers?"
Susan Greene can be reached at 303-954-1589 or at sgreene@denverpost.com.

Comment on this story at http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6453430?source=bb

Dr. Chua supporters here is another innocent man, Yet the Sheriff did not stand up for him

Inmates Eat Boston Butt, My Butt

I can not find one inmate that says yes we eat this. Not even the ice cream.

I do have a feeling that this food was consumed by a certain election campaign. Yes that's right Charlene Sears campaign.

According to Steve Berry the Sheriff had a political barbecue back in October.

If this is the case that is in violation of many different laws.

Remember it was Charlene Sear that accused Mike Fender of :

Snip from T-U article:
Sears expressed concerns about finance director Mike Fender giving accurate information about the financial situation of the county."At times it's inaccurate," she said. "At other times, we don't get the entire picture."


Now we see the entire picture.

Keep checking back I plan on posting more as today will be a big news day.

Inmate Claims "I Never Ate Steak!"

I have one report so far from a recent inmate at the jail. This person claims she never eat steak.

More to come I have some phone calls to make.

School Board Policy Endangers Our Children

The time has come to open the doors of our Board of Education. I have said it was just a matter of time before we had a child molester in our school system, and with the arrest of the teacher at the Advance Learning Center, we all know that that is way too close to home. It is time for Mr. Rowland to lift the silly rules of signing up to speak and having Dr. Hardin screen the speakers. By screening people and making people speak privately with the board, this practice will open us up for major lawsuits especially if it is a serious case such as child molestation. All teachers should support me on this, as I know many of you are what they call "INVADERS FROM THE NORTH" and don't get treated the same as those that have been here a while. Wouldn't you like to know if a complaint has been filed against you. If the complaint was filed in closed session they can't tell you. What happens in executive session can't be talked about outside of that session ( STATE LAW). So when your job review comes along and you have a couple of complaints against you, they can fire you and call you a discipline problem. And not one time will you have a right to defend yourself. At least in an open system you can defend yourself.

I am not out to get any teachers, I believe there are many fine teachers in this system. I just want more accountability. Or at least my constitutional right to free speech.

You teachers that teach American History, when it comes to free speech do you teach our children they have a right to free speech except when you attend a school board meeting. Is that what you teach. No I didn't think so.

Mr. Rowland,
There are no limitations on free speech that is how it is taught. Why are you doing the direct opposite of what we teach in our schools?

Commissioners Hold Illegal Meeting, Disabled Vet Turned Away

Last night's meeting of the County Commissioners was held illegally. According to the open meetings law this meeting should have been moved to a bigger building or cancelled. Yet they continued on. This is not the first time but it will be the last time. The commissioners have known for a while now that this was a problem. They even looked in to a bigger place after the Jet Ski meeting. So they knew it was a problem and did nothing to fix it. Which means they can be sued personally for this. If you look through the school board stuff you will find when an elected official knows there is a problem with open meetings and does nothing to fix it they can be held personally responsible.

Americans with disabilities may also get involved!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw a disabled vet leave last night with his oxygen tank in hand. As he was walking slowly back to his car, He was telling people not to bother, you can't get in. Thank God he did not tell his buddies in the war not to bother. This is a shame when a man who fought for our rights and was disabled in his efforts can't even get a seat at a commissioners meeting.

Channel 12 News did tell me that they were going to send a copy of the unedited tape to the Attorney Generals Office to back up what I will tell them when I call.

Let's flood the Attorney General with calls his number is 404-656-7298 and ask for Stephen Ritter. He is the open meetings guy in the office.

Let me tell you I watch the reporters from Jax taping for 1-1/2 hours last night and they did not miss anything.

Thank you Jax media for shedding some light on our Communist Leaders.

Commissioner Sears Accuses Mike Fender Of, Get This, Not Telling The Whole Truth.

The Florida Times-Union
July 24, 2007

Cuisine at jail lands Georgia sheriff in hot water

By GORDON JACKSON and PAUL PINKHAM, The Times-Union

WOODBINE, Ga. - Do real jail inmates eat quiche?

It's a question Camden County commissioners may want to ask tonight when they consider approving the budget for the Camden County Sheriff's Office.

According to a review of itemized receipts of the Camden County Jail by the Times-Union, petite quiche appetizers, purchased Oct. 12, are among the questionable items bought for inmates.
The receipts of the jail budget also show the Sheriff's Office purchased 10 tiki torches and citronella on May 18, 2006.
The 2007 receipts indicate inmates are served eggs and bacon or sausage for breakfast on a regular basis. Lunch consists of ham or turkey bologna. Dinner items include fish such as whiting, grouper and pollock, meats such as Boston butt, pork chops, beef round, rib-eye steaks, smoked ham, all-beef hot dogs and turkey breast.
Dessert items, according to the receipts, include key lime cheesecake and vanilla and butter pecan ice cream.
The purchases will make it difficult for some Camden County Commission members to approve the sheriff's budget at tonight's special meeting.
"It begs the question, 'Is this food being used at the county jail or somewhere else?' " Commissioner Steve Berry said. "Are they the most cost-effective food items? Obviously not."
Commissioner Katherine Zell said she was having "a real hard time" understanding some of the items purchased as part of the jail budget.
"They're fed extremely well," she said.
Commissioner David Rainer said the jail food budget is "something they should look at" as a way to trim expenditures.
"I would expect you would get a balanced meal as economical as you can make it," he said. "They shouldn't have feasts. It shouldn't be extravagant."
But Charlene Sears, a commissioner and community relations officer for the Sheriff's Office, said she isn't aware of any questionable food purchases.
Sears said four inmates can be fed with one pound of Boston butt. The fish purchased for inmates is always the least expensive offered by vendors, and the ice cream was a reward to inmates for painting the jail and offices at the Sheriff's Office, Sears said.
Management of the jail is up to the sheriff, Sears said of the inmates' meals.
"I have not seen evidence the sheriff is abusing his food budget," she said.
Jail may be over budget
Sears accused commissioners of "holding the budget hostage" while they debate how the sheriff can trim expenditures.
"The employees who are doing a good job are being held as political hostages," Sears said.
But Berry said the jail food budget is $80,000 over what was authorized for the fiscal year ending July 1. And some items raised serious questions.
"I cannot imagine any use a jail would have for a tiki torch," he said. "It's expenditures like this that would raise questions about the purchasing of the Sheriff's Office. Can we afford these kind of expenses in this time of tight budgets?"
Berry said he tried to question the Sheriff's Office about some of the expenditures for inmate food earlier this month and received little cooperation.
"They were very rude and obnoxious about it," he said. "We were basically told this is none of our business."
The watchdog's watchdog?
Sears expressed concerns about finance director Mike Fender giving accurate information about the financial situation of the county.
"At times it's inaccurate," she said. "At other times, we don't get the entire picture."
She called for an audit of the entire budget for the county, including the Sheriff's Office.
Berry said Fender is being scrutinized because he has asked questions about the sheriff's budget in recent weeks.
He said there has never been a complaint about Fender's job performance until he began asking questions about the sheriff's budget. He said Sears "needs to be representing the people in District 4 instead of fighting the sheriff's battles."
"First the sheriff is $1.3 million over budget and now they want to fire the guy who caught this," Berry said. "Every organization needs a watchdog. Now, they want to fire the watchdog."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672
paul.pinkham@jacksonville.com,
(904-359-4107
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072407/geo_186497690.shtml.

TRSP Review: What is he not clear about Ms. Sears? You can't make a statement and not back it with proof. That is irresponsible.

Politics As Usual

Lt. Terrell,
Still waiting on that good news.

Sheriff,
Way to rid the county of drug dealers, in fact giving them a police escort back to our streets.
And you better not do what I have been told you are planning because that will be the final nail in your political coffin.

Charlene Sears,
What happened to restoring professionalism? Do you think bringing drug dealers back in to the county is very professional? You should speak out as a Commissioner unless that would cause a conflict of interest for you.

What If They Wrecked And Killed Someone, Could We Afford That?

From the Georgia Times Union, Story by Gordon Jackson. Check back tomorrow for a review.

Click on pic to enlarge

Sheriff Refuses To Enforce County Laws

From the Georgia Times Union, Story by Gordon Jackson.

Click on pic to enlarge

Who Is Sheriff Bill Smith?

That is what more and more people are saying. Well they say you are who you hang around, so lets see who is friends are:

An accused murderer (although in a court of law you are innocent until proven guilty, but in the court of public opinion half will assume he is guilty regardless of the verdict. Just ask O.J.

A convicted drug manufacturer (one of the three amigo's from the Jet Ski incident. Who spent way to long in Camden's jail to begin with. More to come on this man in the near future.)

Rumors are flying everywhere and the Sheriff should come out and make a statement.

Mr. Berry thank you for standing with the people.
Ms. Zell thank you also.

You have proven that you can set friendship aside for the better of the county. I hope you can keep that up.

Rhodes, Rainer, and Sears have you forgotten what your duties are.
You have allowed the Sheriff to spend, spend, spend.
And now the people are going to PAY, PAY, PAY.

If the Sheriff is not going to enforce County ordinances (IE. building permits and yard signs), then how can we expect him to enforce anything. I know he says its not his job to enforce them, but he should at least follow them.

After all, Don't the best leaders lead by example?

Why Did The Sheriff Bring A Convicted Drug Manufacturer Back To Camden

From The Georgia Times Union:

This is a piece from the story the rest of the story can be found by clicking on the link at the bottom of the post.

Story by Paul Pinkham

Allegations about the trusty program aren't the only concern, Berry said. Another example he cited was cars given to dozens of Sheriff's Office employees. He said Smith himself has traveled out of state in his county vehicle.
Berry said Smith and a deputy took a county vehicle Wednesday to Nicholls to pick up convicted methamphetamine manufacturer William D. Murrell, paroled after seven months in prison there.
"Why should the taxpayer have to pay for that?" Berry wondered.

Now that is only half the story. Who is William D. Murrell?

Well if you think back to September and the now famous Jet Ski incident, you will recall he was one of them on the Jet Ski's.

I have left a message for Lt. Terrell at the Sheriff's Office to email me his response to this question:

Why is the Sheriff bringing drug dealers back to our County?

I thought it was his job to rid the County of these people not bring them back.

Please Sheriff explain yourself.

I have left a message for Lt. Terrell at the Sheriff's Office to email me his response to this question.

I am sure I will receive a no comment

But how about you Charlene Sears, you are the public relations director, care to comment?

Mr. Berry I will send you an email I recieved that kinda has something to do with this, but I can't confirm it. Maybe you can shed some light on it.




http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071907/geo_185437010.shtml

Sheriff's Office Employee Found Guilty On Fraud Charges

HELP SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE. OR MAYBE WE SHOULD CALL THE CROOKS IT SEEMS SOME OF THEM HAVE BETTER MORALS THAN THE SHERIFF.

The Florida Times-Union
July 20, 2007
Camden worker's troubles deepen

By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union

WOODBINE - The financial problems for Gina Evanson, the purchasing agent for the Camden County Sheriff's Office, continue to mount.
More crime and public safety coverage First Coast Fugitives
Evanson was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of account fraud on Tuesday for writing a bad check for $72.78 to a St. Marys bakery, according to documents from Camden County Magistrate Court.
She is also facing prosecution for nonpayment of a loan to Lendmark Financial Services, according to court documents. In the complaint filed against her, Evanson is accused of not paying a debt of $786.09.
Combined with court costs, Evanson was given 45 days on June 14 to pay $853.09. Court officials said Thursday she has not responded to the complaint.
If she does not respond by July 30, Lendmark is expected to file a civil suit against Evanson and her wages or bank account could be garnisheed until the debt is repaid, according to court officials.
Last week, the Times-Union reported Evanson used a county credit card to buy $893.49 in Christmas gifts such as a trampoline, DVD player, toys and a TV at a Wal-Mart store in St. Marys.
After she was confronted about the purchases, Evanson told officials in the county finance department she mistakenly used the county credit card and had already written a personal check directly to Wal-Mart to repay the money.
But Mike Fender, director of the county's finance department, said the county account still hadn't been credited for the items.
County Commissioner Steve Berry expressed dismay about the latest news about Evanson's financial problems.
"There is no question this person should not be in charge of purchasing, period," he said. "This person is in charge of purchasing for the largest budget in the county. The sheriff's failure to deal with this is another example of his waste and abuse."
Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. William Terrell declined to comment. There was also no response to a request for an interview with Evanson.
Berry said he planned to urge fellow commissioners to take action if Evanson does not repay the money owed the county before the next scheduled meeting on Aug. 7.
"If this is not paid by the next commission meeting, I intend to get an item on the agenda to call for her prosecution for theft," Berry said. "By then, it would have been eight months, more than enough time to clear this up."
Commission Chairman Preston Rhodes said he was unaware of Evanson's other financial problems. Rhodes said he talked to Berry about his plans to call for Evanson's prosecution.
Rhodes said he has asked county officials to separate "facts from emotions" to determine if and why the debt hasn't been repaid.

gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

TRSP Review:
This is 100% bull crap. Why are we allowing this to happen? If she used the wrong credit card, why did she not use the correct card to fix the problem. This woman had no intention of paying for this and should be FIRED.

Bill Smith DO YOUR JOB

I THINK THIS WOMAN WAS HIRED UNDER THE SMITH-SEARS FRIENDS AND FAMILY ACT OF 2004.

Why Are We Paying This Woman $30,000 A Year

If you already read this please see post below!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does she do? Her title is Public Relations Director. Yet when the public asks for a comment we get I can't comment on that because of my job in the Sheriff's Office. By God that is exactly what the PR director is supposed to do "comment on the office". Yet she sees no conflict of interest. When has she commented on the Sheriff's Office. Well I can only think of one time. here let me share that with you, from this blog posted back in December:

Mr. Rogers,
I find it extremely interesting that you feel so inclined to pass judgement on those who seek only to assist in problem areas whether it be in education, band or politics. You are no beneficial member of society. You take and take but never give back. Look at your history and where you came from. New York, New Jersey, and so on and on. What happens to make you move so much...is the heat getting to you so you have to move on? Or the creditors coming down on you? Before you sweep around others doors you should take a hard look at what is around your own door. I understand one door you visited was the courtroom of Kingsland Police Department.I also think it is comical that you use a dog photo in your profile. It is not far from the truth. I have seen you and was not that impressed to say the least.

Notice she didn't sign her name. But this post does tell me that if Charlene Sears does not think you are good looking she does not want anything to do with you. So all of us that do not impress Charlene Sears can forget about her listening to what you say.

Also notice how a Sheriff's Office employee that I don't know and that does not know me some how thinks she know my background. And I have got to say she is pretty damn close. There are a few errors, but even government computers make mistakes.

Who else does she know about. What about the Sheriff's Background? What? No Comment!!!! Job well done Charlene you should get a raise.

Charlene Sears herself said the Sheriff Office has not told everything about the trusty that stole the money from the jail. Her last comment on that was I would love to tell you more, BUT my position in the Sheriff's Office does not allow me. What? It is your job to tell us more.

So as a Commissioner she can tell us more, but won't because of her other job. But She see no conflict in this.

Then from what I hear from Sandy's blog (http://www.camdenganews.com/blog/) She refused to answer Steve (I finally have had enough of this) Berry's question on who wrote the trusty legislation. She mumbled like a two year old. Are we going to have to start handing out pacifiers and have nap time at these meetings. Is that what you all do in executive session? OMG (I hate that phrase) Is that why you go behind close doors instead of doing the peoples work in front of the people. Really why else would our government want to exclude us. Nap time.

But anyway she refuse to answer the question. Why? Because it was drawn up by the Sheriff's Office.

SO MR. BERRY I MUST AGREE WITH YOU THIS IS CRIMINAL AND IT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH. WILL YOU PLEASE CALL FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO YOUR OWN DEPARTMENT? AS IT SEEMS TO BE JUST AS MESSED UP AS THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. AND I AM YELLING. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW!!!!!!!

Thank you and as always have a NICE day.

Some Commissioners Are Just The Sheriff's Puppets

From:
The Florida Times-Union
July 18, 2007
Camden County Commission tables plan for use of inmates
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union

KINGSLAND - The Camden County Commission was asked Tuesday night to enter into an agreement to establish guidelines for the use of inmates performing work outside the Camden County Jail.
The proposal, submitted by Commissioner Charlene Sears, an employee of the Sheriff's Office, gave specific uses for trusties in the community.
The proposal asks for "low security inmates" to clean public buildings, build and refurbish church and cemetery buildings, construct access ramps for people with disabilities, respond to natural disasters and "build, refurbish and maintain private for-profit projects and special projects as presented by the Sheriff's Office."
Commissioner Steve Berry said he opposed the proposal, which he said was written by the Sheriff's Office. He questioned why commissioners would want to endorse a program currently being investigated by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service.
"Why in the world would you want us to be captain of the Titanic?" he asked. "It says we [the Sheriff's Office] can do anything we want. I know it's illegal. You're telling me it's legal to work on private property for profit."
Commissioner David Rainer, however, defended the proposal and accused Berry of "grandstanding."
"The issue is not who wrote the document," he said. "I'm not concerned with who wrote it."
County Attorney Brent Green recommended commissioners table the proposal until more guidelines are added. He said some of the suggestions may be in violation of state law.
"You cannot enter into a memorandum of understanding to violate the law of Georgia," Green said.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to table the issue. Berry cast the dissenting vote.
The program allowing inmates to work in the community has been under fire in recent months since a jail trusty escaped from a work detail on Sept. 14, forcing the shutdown of an elementary school and a day-care center for the day.
Two days later, a trusty was hospitalized after he crashed a personal watercraft owned by the Sheriff's Office into a dock. Sheriff Bill Smith told elected officials he took responsibility for the incident but never explained why witnesses said three inmates at the accident scene were unsupervised.
Most recently, the inmate program received more scrutiny when trusties were seen working on private property on Cumberland Island without a building permit.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the National Park Service have separate ongoing investigations to determine if anything improper was done with inmate labor on the island.
Sears said that under the proposal, the intent of some inmate labor would be for reparations for crimes inmates may have committed in the community.
Sears said only a "small group of people" has expressed concerns about the management of the trusty program.
She said if the Sheriff's Office doesn't follow the proposed guidelines, commissioners could send a letter of complaint to Smith.
Berry described the trusty program as a "total failure that most likely has risen to criminal activity" and called for the suspension of the trusty program until ongoing investigations are completed.
"You can withhold all funding until it can be proven the inmate program can be run under the law," Berry said.
Mary Ann Seaman of St. Marys, a former campaign manager for Smith, told the commissioners she supported the trusty program and wanted to see it continued. She said inmates will wash cars if the cars are taken to the jail and could provide other services.
"I see a lot of good in the trusty program," she said.

gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

TRSP Review: Why would this proposal would be illegal? I can guarantee the ACLU would be all over the inmates working at churches. Churches already are tax exempt and the ACLU believes in this separation of church and state. Not that I agree with that, but the Supreme Court does.

And now this comment by Charlene Sears: only a "small group of people" has expressed concerns about the management of the trusty program.

What county do you live in. Do you have any clue that the majority of Camden County would vote to recall the Sheriff mainly because of the way he is running this program. And please don't go by my poll, the Tribune ran a similar poll and it was overwhelming in favor of getting rid of Smith. You are out of touch with the people in this county. Maybe if you would get your nose out of the Sheriff's butt you could see what was going on.

And Mary Ann Seaman:
I am still waiting to hear those good news stories you have that the Tribune has not run yet. Where are they? I did not expect anything less than Slick Willie has not done wrong. If the inmates are washing cars for the public, what does that say to those who own carwash's out in town? Sorry but I get an inmate to do it so you can just go out of business. Way to look out for the small business owner. Maybe you should work for the St. Mary's Chamber of Commerce.

Well except for lying in court, giving Trusty's beer, allowing Chua on Internet and so and so.

Audio Recording Of Tonight's Meeting Needed

Anyone planning on going to the meeting tonight and know you will be close enough to get a good recording of tonight's meeting please contact me. I would like to post this recording online so people who visit this blog from out of the area can hear what is going on. I will be there but probably I will be late as I do work for a living.

Please use the Contact Us link in the links section.

The rest of the world would love to see (or should say hear) how our Commissioners question (or lack of questioning) our Sheriff.

Will the Commissioners use this time to kill two birds with one stone?
Since he is there they should question him on:
Internet use by Dr. Chua
Trusty status for murder suspects
And all the other special treatments Dr. Chua has received.

Tonight would be the night for Mr. Berry to step up and be for the people like he has claimed to be.

Mr. Berry you are in the spotlight tonight. What will you do?

They Can Not Approve A Resolution

If tonight, when the Sheriff presents his proposed resolution to the Commissioners, they approve and support this resolution to free Dr. Chua it will be the end of this Commission. These people must realize that they work for the people not the Sheriff. The people have asked for the Commissioners to call for an investigation of the Sheriff's Office. This is totally in their power to do. Yet not one has stood up to the Sheriff. They have coward like children in trouble. Now, the Sheriff has teamed up with a group from Atlanta who came out and basically said we here in South Georgia are racist. They now claim that this case is about race. Which tells me that as more evidence comes out in this case that they are getting worried. Race was not an issue until I found out that Dr. Chua had Internet access, Something other inmates are not allowed to have. Which from the two emails I received last night, is a big deal to the other inmates. The parents of two inmates emailed me stating that they were unhappy with the fact that Chua has Internet access, trusty status, meals from inside the jail, and maybe even a nice comfy bed at night (outside the jail). Now these are emails I received and cannot verify the truth in them, but as always it would not surprise me.

Commissioners for you to even entertain this idea let alone support it will just add another nail to your almost nailed shut political coffin.

Maybe since the Sheriff will be there, you can ask him why he feels he can just lie to the public whenever he feels like it.

And thanks for not responding to my emails, That tells the public just who you are for. Yourselves.

Two Judges And A D.A. Says No, Why Should We Believe The Town Liar?

Notice it is not Gordon Jackson writing this:

From:

The Florida Times-Union
July 15, 2007

Sheriff, supporters call for bail for doctor

By Paul Pinkham, The Times-Union

KINGSLAND, Ga. - Supporters of a St. Marys physician charged with murder - including Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith - plan to gather en masse at Tuesday's Camden County Commission meeting. -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
They hope to present a petition and resolution urging Superior Court Judge Amanda Williams to set bail for Noel Chua, who has been jailed without bail since his arrest on murder and drug charges in September.
Chua is charged in the drug overdose death of his 20-year-old housemate and patient, James B. Carter III, who was found dead in the doctor's home in December 2005. A Camden County grand jury charged that Carter died from drugs prescribed by Chua and that none of the drugs were for a legitimate medical purpose.
"We're not asking for anything special. Just give him a bond," said Mercedes Chapman, a former patient of Chua's who helped organize the petition drive. "We just don't understand why he's still there."
Her son, Tom, owner of a St. Marys computer store, created and maintains a "Free Dr. Chua" Web site that includes the online petition and the "resolution on behalf of Sheriff ... Smith and the Camden County Board of Commissioners."
As of Friday afternoon, the petition had 188 signatures from as far away as New Zealand. At least a third of the signatures are from Camden County.
Carter's family and friends launched their own online petition Friday to keep Chua in jail. It had 56 signatures Friday afternoon.
"I don't want him back out on the street," said Kathy Hendrix of Nahunta. "I don't want to see this happen to another kid."
A case for freedom
Sheriff's Office spokesman William Terrell confirmed Smith would be at the meeting but wouldn't discuss his reasons for attending. He said the sheriff would be happy to talk to a reporter after the meeting but not before.
It wouldn't be the first time Smith has pushed for bail for Chua. Court records show he visited Williams in her chambers after Chua's arrest to ask about bail.
"I do not issue bonds in murder cases," the judge said she told him, according to a transcript obtained by the Times-Union of a bench conference she had with lawyers in the case. "If that's a problem with you, then I am telling you now I'm not going to do it. I'll get you another judge."
Later, she told lawyers concerning a bail hearing, "Because he [Smith] doesn't want me to hear it, I'm not going to hear it."
A week later, Superior Court Judge James Tuten, the chief judge of the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, denied Chua bail. He agreed with prosecutors that Chua was a flight risk.
The bail resolution isn't on the commission's Tuesday agenda and hasn't been filed with the county, according to the clerk's office. Commission Chairman Preston Rhodes said he had heard about the petition but no one has approached him about it. He said it could be presented during the public comment period of Tuesday's meeting.
Close ties
The sheriff's relationship with Chua has been an issue in the murder case since Chua's arrest. Smith has said he doesn't believe Chua is guilty, and he has confirmed he traveled to China with the doctor between the time of Carter's death and Chua's arrest. Smith said the trip's purpose was to seek alternative treatments for his son, who is paralyzed from a car crash.
Court records show prosecutors cited the sheriff's friendship with Chua as reason for having him jailed initially in neighboring Glynn County. Chua's lawyers eventually won him a transfer to the Camden County Jail.
Prosecutors couldn't comment on the petition and resolution because of a gag order, Assistant District Attorney Jackie Johnson said.
Tuesday's commission meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the county annex building.
paul.pinkham@jacksonville.com,
(904) 359-4107
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

D.A. Kelly Keeps His Word!!!!!!

From:
The Florida Times-Union
July 14, 2007GBI looking into inmate labor use on Cumberland
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union
KINGSLAND - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an investigation into the use of inmate labor by the Camden County Sheriff's Office on Cumberland Island National Seashore. -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Stephen Kelley, district attorney for the Brunswick Judicial Circuit, said Friday he asked for the investigation.
"I have requested the GBI to look into the use of inmate labor on Cumberland Island and the sheriff [Bill Smith] has agreed to fully cooperate," he said.
Kelley said he can't comment on whether the scope of the investigation will go beyond the use of inmate labor at the national seashore. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss the investigation further.
The use of inmate labor on the island is also being investigated by regional officials with the National Park Service, prompting island superintendent Jerre Brumbelow to take a personal leave of absence. Officials at the park service's regional office in Atlanta said they don't know when their investigation will be completed.
GBI officials refused to comment on the investigation.
The Camden County Sheriff's Office cited the GBI's investigation Friday as the reason for denying a Times-Union open records request regarding their inmate labor program.
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

Will Bill Smith Change Peoples Minds About Chua?

Having Bill Smith stand up for Dr. Chua, really does change my mind. I call and questioned Mr. Kelly about this case, He said he has (or had, lord only know if Bill still has all of it) the evidence for a conviction in this case. Chua speaking from his computer in jail says he does not have any evidence and Bill Smith agrees. But we all know we can't trust Smith.

I think Bill Smith standing up for the doctor is really going to hurt his case in the halls of public opinion.

Time will tell.

If you want to talk to Chua himself he is online at topix kingsland under the username of Free Dr. Chua.

Are Inmates Allowed Internet Access?

It has been brought to my attention that Dr. Chua has internet access. Is something that all inmates get or just the Sheriff's friend?

Heres what Dr. Chua says happened in his own words.

Who was James Carter III? In my email interview with Dr. Chua -- I could not reach him at the county jail by telephone -- he said:“He (Carter) started out as a patient who became an employee in my medical office. Presented himself as very smart and friendly student and had invited me and my cousin to his parents’ separate homes. I was treating him for his long history of severe migraines and had to be hospitalized twice under my care for that condition. His past medical history reveals extensive work-up and numerous hospitalizations and ER visits for the same condition.” Dr. Chua said that they charged him for every medication that he prescribed to Carter as a felony because they had Carter’s medical record from his office reviewed by another doctor, who never saw Carter and subsequently concluded that there was no medical reason for Dr. Chua’s prescriptions. He said further:“The extensive past medical records of the patient that my lawyers were able to obtain at a later time showed that the patient has been tried on about every medication that I also tried but nothing really gave him any long lasting relief. My civil lawyers (after the family filed a civil suit) also found out that the patient had been seeing a drug rehab doctor even prior to his initial visit in my office. Nobody will be able to provide any evidence that there had been any communication between my office and the rehab doctor’s office since this fact was hidden from me by the patient and his family members that had given me a warm reception in their homes.”Dr. Chua said that the toxicology report showed that Carter had multiple drugs in his system, even drugs that he never prescribed to him. Dr. Chua also said that he warned Carter never to mix his prescriptions with any other drugs. In addition, he said that the autopsy report showed “evidence of sudden intense elevation of pressure in his head similar to something seen on people that were strangled.” He said:“This can only come from injecting something that raised his blood pressure intensely or assuming a very awkward position after a sudden death which is contrary to a slow death experienced by people simply dying of a drug overdose.” “They charged me with two murders for one dead body blaming the overdose on me,” Dr. Chua lamented.“Not satisfied with that, they charged me with racketeering which gave them the power to seize all my assets. It’s obviously a dirty, sleazy trick to grab all my money and properties so I will not be able to afford any defense on my part.”


TRSP Review: Notice he does not say anything about Carter living with him. You would think he would know he was in drug rehab if the man lived with him.

How many of your doctors have invited you to stay with them? Something does not pass the sniff test here.

Smith To Take Chua Case To Commissioners

From

http://accessphilatlanta.blogspot.com/

FLASH:
Camden County, Georgia's top law enforcer supports Dr. Noel Chua

FLASH!From: Filipino Reporter Editor, Edmund Silvestre
PLEASE SPREAD THE UPDATE
Hi Toni...it's Edmund again....I just talked to CamdenCounty's top law enforcement official, Sheriff BillSmith, and he confirmed to the Filipino Reporter thathe will file a resolution on July 17 before the CamdenCounty Board of Commissioners asking the judge togrant Dr. Noel Chua a bond for his temporaryrelease...you can see a copy of the resolution atwww.ipetitions.com/petition/drchua/The Sheriff said all the charges against Dr. Chua haveno validity...he's hoping that members of the Filipinoand medical communities in Georgia would rally behindhim during the July 17 board hearing at Camden Countyannex building (right behind the KingslandLibrary)....he said the resolution was part of theoriginal agenda of the board but was suddenly removedfor unknown reasons...but the sheriff said he willstill go there and bring up the resolution as aprivate citizen...he said that's the least that he cando knowing that Dr. Chua is innocent...as a lawenforcer, the Sheriff has access to all the evidenceand testimony and all medical reports so it'sunderstandable why he is fuming about this"injustice." I hope you can alert theFilipino-American leaders in Camden County to get intouch with the Sheriff for the board hearing on July17. May the Holy Spirit be with you all in Georgia!
Good luck
Edmund

TRSP Review: I have proven that evidence does come up missing from the Sheriff's Office.
What is he doing holding evidence against a friend. Does he not see the conflict of interest.

Mr. Kelly you better check and make sure Bill does not lose some of the evidence.

Commissioners why was this taken off the adgenda?

Inquiring Minds Want To Know

From:
The Florida Times-Union
July 12, 2007Camden credit paid for Christmas
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union

WOODBINE - A Camden County Sheriff's Office employee has been asked to repay the county $893.49 for unauthorized purchases on a county credit card she apparently used to buy Christmas gifts. -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
Despite being asked to repay the money in February, county officials said there is no record Gina Evanson, the Sheriff's Office purchasing agent, has repaid the money.
County finance director Mike Fender said he was reviewing itemized credit card expenses of county employees in February when he noticed items purchased Dec. 24 at the Wal-Mart in St. Marys. The items were bought without a purchase order number on a credit card issued to Evanson, he said. The statement showed the card was used to buy items such as a trampoline, toys, a DVD player and a TV.
When confronted about the unauthorized charges, Evanson said she mistakenly used the county credit card instead of one of her personal cards, Fender said.
Evanson said she realized she used the wrong card when she received a monthly statement for her personal credit card without the Christmas gift charges. Fender said Evanson told him she mailed a check Feb. 20 to Wal-Mart after she learned about the mistake.
Evanson provided county officials with a photocopy of a canceled check she said she mailed to Wal-Mart for the exact amount of the purchases charged to the county credit card. But a memo Fender sent to Evanson on May 31 says the check "still has not cleared on the Wal-Mart statement."
"I gave her several opportunities to clear this up before I sent the letter," he said. "I've asked for four months to have this cleared up. I'm trying to protect the county's interest."
The county hasn't been reimbursed for the outstanding debt, Fender said Wednesday.
Fender said he has contacted Wal-Mart about getting the county account credited for the purchases, but the company won't respond to his questions.
"Wal-Mart won't talk about someone else's account," he said.
Lt. William Terrell, a sheriff's spokesman, said Evanson made an "honest mistake" when she used the county credit card. But Sheriff Bill Smith has given Evanson a written reprimand for using the card, Terrell said. The reprimand was placed in her personnel file, Terrell said.
When asked why the sheriff reprimanded Evanson if her use of the card was a mistake, Terrell said, "She should have known better. I'm sure she'll never do it again."
Terrell said Evanson is working with Wal-Mart to prove she paid for the items by check and to get the company to repay the county.
"I'm sure she's taking care of this," he said.
Evanson couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. A Camden County Sheriff's Office policy said all media inquiries must be made to Terrell.
County Commissioner Steve Berry called for more than a written reprimand because Evanson should have resolved the issue months ago by directly paying the county.
"Personally, I think it's poor judgment on her part," Berry said. "I would not want her in charge of purchasing in any department. This woman needs removal from the position as purchasing agent for the Sheriff's Office."
Berry said there is no record of Evanson's check clearing a bank, making her claim of repaying Wal-Mart for the purchases "extremely suspicious."
"This was brought to her attention in February; this was brought to her attention in May," he said. "In February, it was an oversight. Now it's July, it's theft."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672

TRSP Review: I agree with Mr. Berry the question is what is he going to do about it? Will he stand up and demand a full investigation of the Sheriff's Office.

This is theft no question. If this was bought with a credit card then Wal-Mart already got paid. Why is she sending Wal-Mart the check? Why not just hand it over to Mr. Fender?

The next question will be who got the gifts? Remember this question.

This all happened days after another couple of Sheriff Office employees jumped on the computer and did background checks on private citizens. What kind of Sheriff's Office is Bill Smith running? It sure is not an open and honest office.

AND STILL NO RESPONSE FROM THE COMMISSIONERS ON TWO EMAILS NOW.

So much for Sears wanting to restore professionalism in county government.

To all the good and honest Sheriff Deputies:
I am sorry that you are in the middle of this. It is not my nor anyone Else's intention to make any of you good officers look bad. You guys stand above all and we see that. You do the best you can do given the events that are surrounding you. We still feel safe knowing you are on the streets. Please don't take our complaining about your boss personally. This has nothing to do with your abilities. This is clearly a leadership problem that starts with the Commissioners and the Sheriff.

Please bear with us during these troubling times and once these matters are handled properly we will be a better and stronger community for standing on the side of righteousness, and not on the Good ole Boys side.

Thank you for your service and some of you for your tips. They are both greatly appreciated.

Woodard's Departure Could Cost Camden Taxpayers

It is all hush, hush at the Commissioners office, Why? That seems to be the question. I believe Ms. Woodard finally realized that she was nothing more than one of many puppets. I think I was the only one that thought she should have gotten a raise when the Commissioners handed her the county managers job on a silver platter. It's call equal work for equal pay. I believe the labor board will agree also. Remember her background only came up because they gave her the job. They put her through all of that embarrassing stuff and then said we can't afford to pay you what a county manger should be paid. So she does not take the job. Now how many of you would still work for these people? I would not, but she did. Just long enough to lawyer up good and come after these guys. And I hope she does. Maybe a good lawsuit will wake up some of these people in this county.

What do you think?

Dayton Gillette Says Smith Lied

Sorry they did not work last night they all are fixed. Enjoy. Thanks to those who did the research, you know who you are. Very good job.

Click on Pic to Enlarge

Today Email To The Commissioners

You 5 should be ashamed of yourselves. What is the Sheriff paying you to not do the peoples work.

Charlene you need to step up as well. When your Sheriff's job does not allow you to do your commissioners job then you have a conflict of interest.

Steve, your letter to the editor said you were for the people. Show it.

David and Preston and Nisi, get your noses out of Bill's butt.

Mr. Rainer you are my commissioner, stand up and demand an investigation. Get your hands out of the developers cookie jar and serve the people like you promised in your oath.

Do you all remember the oath you took.

The five of you are turning into the sorriest bunch of people in the county.

And Ms. Sears I don't see were you are any benefit to society either so I guess we have something in common.
The Real School Police
Rick Rogers

Camden County Commissioners Non-Responsive

The Camden County Commissioners are not for the people of this County. They are only there for their own agenda.
Not one will stand up for the people and demand an investigation. Mr. Berry said he was for the people yet not even he would respond to my email demanding them to call for the investigation.

Charlene Sears should resign her post as keeping info from the people, makes her just as guilty as her lying boss.
Let's not forget the last trusty incident she said she had more info, but could not comment because of her job with our lying Sheriff Bill Smith.

Remember we are to believe that Bill didn't know that one of his deputies had a family emergency for 6 months. That is how long it took him to come up with that excuse.

The trusty that took the money would have gone unreported, but one deputy has more respect for the people and called the media in Jax.

Then this one. Immediately we were told NO COMMENT no one from the Sheriff's office will speak about this while we try to come up with a good excuse.

A paid excuse. The Sheriff paid to tell you more lies. This is not a 501(c)3 project. It was not done on land donated to a non profit organization. The land is still Dr. Jenkins. Who according to Pete Mercer (deputy Sheriff) is also a liar. Or is it the other way around. Did Pete Mercer lie on the stand?

Did the Sheriff tell him to lie?

More questions the Commissioner do have a right to find the answers

But when you are corrupt you don't care and that is what we got here.
Preston Rhodes
David Rainer
Charlene Sears
Nisi Zell
Steve Berry
Sheriff Smith

All of you are lying. Either you know the truth and won't tell or you are the ones telling the lies.

Cumberland Island Project Could Be Scrapped.

I just got off the phone with Mr. Shepherd of the Shepard Center and I asked him if the land for the center was in fact in the Centers name. He said "No, that it was parks service land and that was the way it would stay"

So here are the questions for the week:
If the land is not in the Centers name it is not a 501(c) 3 project like the Sheriff said, Correct?


Why was the INMATE LABOR taken out there in an unmarked boat, apparently the only one the Sheriff has? Is this the same boat that Okie the "bail bondsman" said the inmates would take out fishing on the weekends. All catches went to Bill's house.

Still appears a building permit is required, Correct?

It seems the Sheriff's ad raises more questions than ANSWERS.

I really wish those of you who think the Sheriff has done no wrong would speak out. Let us know what you are thinking. Explain to us why you think the Sheriff should be able to do what ever he wants.

Charlene Sears you start. Right here. Post a comment and we all will discuss it. It would be a good way to keep up Public Relations is that not the job your being paid for?

T-U Explains Sheriff's Ad

The Florida Times-Union
July 6, 2007
Cumberland ad tells sheriff's side
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union

KINGSLAND, Ga. - In response to published accounts of questionable use of inmate labor on private property, Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith has placed an advertisement in a local newspaper "to clarify incomplete media coverage about recent events on Cumberland Island." -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
In an advertisement paid for by Smith that was published in the Tribune & Georgian on Tuesday, he thanked work crews for their labor on the construction project. He also thanked building suppliers and contractors who donated their services or were paid for their work by the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta-based clinic that treats spinal injuries.
In his advertisement, Smith cited a Georgia law that gives exemptions for hull numbers on vessels owned by federal, state or local governments used "exclusively in the non-recreation public service and which is clearly identified as such."
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed local law enforcement agencies are allowed to have unmarked boats.
"There are no requirements whatsoever," said Lt. Col. Homer Bryson, a DNR official. "Most are marked. The agencies do it themselves."
Lt. William Terrell, a sheriff's spokesman, said he would ask Smith to explain why the vessel which was used to bring inmates to the island was the only unmarked boat owned by the sheriff's office, but had not provided that answer by Thursday evening.
Smith also cited a 1992 ordinance exempting Cumberland Island from building permit requirements.
But that law was superseded on March 21, 2000, with an ordinance requiring building permits for all construction in the county. That updated ordinance gave no exemption to property on Cumberland Island. The ordinance was also amended on May 7, 2002, to clarify the issue and specifically required Cumberland Island to comply with all county zoning regulations.
No permit application for the project has been submitted to the county's planning and building department. But officials in the county planning and building office said Thursday plans have been submitted for construction on the tract of land where inmates have been working.

gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com
(912) 729-3672


TRSP Review:

Still many unanswered questions!!!!!!!
Why did Dr. Jenkins pay these guys if they were n0t working on the house?
I would ask someone from the Planning and Building Dept. To clarify this statement in RED.
Sounds to me like more coverups.

A Gift From The Tribune And Georgian

Click on pic to enlarge
Now that's funny I don't care what you say.

Just Talked To DA Kelly

I just talked to him and he said he was looking into it. We had a nice conversation I will give him the time needed to complete his investigation. But we (me included) have got to remember he is only one man covering 5 counties, And other things do have priority. (ie murder cases) And I don't mean the Dr. Chua case, that is going to trail and I will not cover that any more as it is to complex to figure out with out all the evidence.

The reason I will give Mr. Kelly the time to complete the investigation is more of the fact that when I call him he either talks to me right then or calls me back. This is not how most of the elected are in Camden County. Most of them ignore me. Like our County Commissioners not one of them have responded to my e-mail.

I know some of us were a little quick to jump to conclusion about Mr. Kelly (me included) and for that Mr. Kelly I am sorry. I nor anyone else has any prove that I have seen that would suggest you are not doing your best.

I hope for all of us that we get to the bottom of this Sheriff scandal and the truth be told.

How Many Of These Guys Bought Beer With Their Pay?

Click on pic to enlarge:

Judge Fry Says No Comment

I just got off the phone with Judge Fry. I asked him if any charges would come from the perjury that was committed in his court last week. He said that (and I quote word for word) "I am a judge and we normally don't press charges and I have NO COMMENT on it."

Still trying to get a hold of Mr. Shepherd.

TRSP: Judge Fry is in bed with the Sheriff as well JUSTICE will never be served until these people are voted out.

Judge Fry has no regard for the law he is serving only at the pleasure of the Sheriff.

Judge Fry you need to step up as well and serve the people not the Sheriff.

My Email To All County Commissioners

Dear County Commissioners,
We are all aware that you have no authority to punish the Sheriff. But you do have the authority to contact the Attorney General or GBI or FBI or even the Governor's office and ask for an independent investigation to be done. Actually you should call them all. So far the only person I see who even wants to try and represent the people of Camden is Mr. Berry. I urge you Mr. Berry to take a stand for the people. I realize Charlene Sears, David Rainer, and Preston Rhodes are so far up the Sheriff's butt that if the Sheriff takes a hard right turn we would have three broken noses, but you (Mr. Berry) have shown that you can step up above politics and do the right thing from time to time. Now is one of those times.

I would also ask you to look into the fact that the Sheriff's son is still being paid by the Sheriff's office. I expect all of you to do your job (Ms. Sears your job is county commissioner not spokes person for the Sheriff) and call for a complete independent investigation. It is clear that Ms. Sears can't do both jobs as it does cause a conflict of interest to have to call for investigation on your own boss. I would love to hear Ms. Sears say that we do need an independent investigation of the Sheriff's Office. But then she would be investigated as well. So much for no conflict of interest for this simple file clerk.

Choose your responses wisely

Yours Truly,
The Real School Police
Rick Rogers

Uncle Bill Parades Nephews

Pic from paid ad in T&G. This ad was put in this paper at no cost to taxpayers, or so they say.

Click on pic to enlarge

More comments coming

I Left Message For Judge Frey To Call Me

Just left a message with the magistrate court to have Judge Frey call me in reference to the perjury committed in his court room last week. It will be vital to any investigation done. We need to know who is lying. Is it Mr. Jenkins or Deputy Pete Mercer?

WAS HE FOLLOWING ORDERS?
And lastly were they following orders given to them by Bill Smith.

F.Y.I.
The State of Georgia spent 45 minutes on this site this morning. No doubt collecting info for an investigation. More to come.......

Perjury Charges Must Be Filed

Where is the Sheriff when you need him? Why haven't charges been filed by Judge Fry? The Prosecution had two witness' with different stories, one of them is lying. And I think if you get to the bottom of it you will find that the Sheriff ordered Pete Mercer to take Mr. Jenkins to Woodbine to file the court papers. That is such a generous Sheriff. You all know that Sheriff Smith is a kind, Loving and generous man. (but only generous with taxpayer dollars)

Recall the Sheriff.

Commissioners Refuse To Launch Investigation On Sheriff

The Camden County Commissioners could ask many agencies to do an independent investigation into what is being called "Trusty Gate" here in Camden County. Not a single one have said that they would call any one to investigate. Why not? They could call the Attorney General, the Governor, GBI or even FBI. Why won't they, it is because when you do the laundry you never know what will come out in the wash. If you opened any of their closets there is no telling how many skeletons would fall out. They love to point out other peoples problems but when it comes to them they turn and run.

Charlene Sears won't call for an investigation, because that would mean she would be investigated. You do know she works for the Sheriff. What she actually does I don't know. She started off as a simple file clerk, or at least that is what the investigators from the state said after they researched her job for a conflict of interest between her job and the County commissioners job. But since then she has been promoted time and time again. I can only assume since she still votes on things pertaining to the Sheriff's Office that every YES vote gets a pay raise. After all when she ran for commissioner she said that she would not vote on items related to the Sheriff's Office. Of course that was a lie. She takes after her boss. Do you really believe that a deputy had a family emergency and that is why the trusty was left alone at the river?

Commissioners should take a stand, Ms. Sears sit down we all know were you stand.