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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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5 comments:
They need to audit the inhouse books at the S.O, I bet they would uncover a pile so big that all the cats in Camden County would wear their claws out trying to cover up.Is there any traceability of the gas that is pumped at the S.O, thats one high expense that needs to be fixed, all them chiefs with take home cars, burn a lots of fuel that could be used protecting this county.(ie the extra moneys that was alloted to hire extra Deputy's, these cars could be given to them for use patrolling the highways, instead of grocery runs to get blue bell ice cream and boston butts, tiki torches etc. Ms Sears could ride to work with her spose,He allready has a county car with all the goodies
what ya think Rosco?
Wouldn't that help make our county a better place to live in? Inmates should be treaded as inmates and no more, they didn't respect the laws of this land,the people of this county, thats why they are in jail. One thing we could do is buy them pink underwear, stripped suits, pup tents and put razor wire around the ponderosa, and let the offcer's use boss hogs little house for a guard shack. and that would help the overcrowding situation, and save 100,000.00 dollars a year we are paying to other county's to house them. Plus they should have to pay us the taxpayers back for their stay in jail, lots of jails charge inmates for each day they spend in jail.
Enough said this mess is really starting to piss me off as a citizen of this county. It needs fixing, NOW
My question is why are we having to pay for DRUG COURT?
There is a budget cut that could be paid for by these funds, if there are any funds left.
I don't care what Sandy Feller says about Steve Berry he is the only person willing to stand up against this clown (Big Willie). Keep up the good work Steve Berry.
If Mr. Berry candidate is willing to take back those 88 cars, do the right thing with the drug money, hire some honest respectful people and get rid of the unnessary upper management. I will definitely VOTE for him. He should start with Walker, both Sears, Procter, Johnson and the guy in the cartoon with Roscoe!
It is an embarrassment to read all of the negative things everyday in the GTU about the Sheriff Dept. Willie should do us all a favor and resign... He should definitely take the Charlene Sears with him. She is an absolute disgrace to elected office.
Closing, Thank you Steve Berry for doing what no other man has been willing to do. Ntt even Sandy Feller!! Well I guess Rich Gamble tried to tell the people but they could not hear what he was saying. Maybe he should run again also. I think the people will hear him loud and clear this time.
Camden County deserves so much better than what we currently have in the Sheriffs Department...
I have to agree--while at one time, I respected Bill Smith, I have no respect, no "giving the benefit of the doubt"--nothing. The idea that he would give money back to drug dealers doesn't surprise me at all. I personally know of more than one situation where someone was arrested for significant drug charges--and did not serve a day. Their own words were, "Bill Smith is a personal friend of mine. He used my boat--I did this for him, that for him..." I thought that in serious drug offenses (especially those involving illegal weapons in a residential neighborhood) that you served time. I guess I was wrong to think the just system worked that way. Well, at least not Camden County's Justice System.
As for Charlene, I know her personally. In fact, I know her very well. I know about her family background, her education and I know her. What amazes me is that she was elected in the first place. She has a pretty face--which made for nice campaign posters. I think that members of the Commission should DEMAND to see Charlene's job description so that they would know exactly which issues should be abstained from. As for her needing a car--the other commissioners don't need a car! This is proposterous! She doesn't "need" a car. They can reimburse mileage as most state agencies would for a glorified office assistant.
If the Sheriff feels he must spend a half a million dollars on fleet of Contender boats on the heels of overspending this past years budget by 1.2 million dollars he is just rubbing it in our faces. He feels he is untouchable and actions speak louder than words.
WAKE UP CAMDEN! Spread the WORD. We must stand up and elect a new Sheriff!
The sheriffs’ office already has six boats now, why buy a half million dollar fleet in addition to that?
Slick Willie is not satisfied with, two fleets of Coast Guard boats, the Navy, the National Park Service and the Department of Natural Resources patrolling our water ways of Camden County in addition to the current Sheriff’s Office Fleet of six.
Sheriff Smith has been asked several times to cut this years budget and he has refused. Stating he would have to cut personnel. I say you can’t manage. Now he has stated he is going to sue us taxpayers to make the commissioners give him more money and threatening us that will cost us in the long run.
Sheriff Smith…… I say stop your whining about your budgets…. NO Judge worth his salt is ever going to give you more money when you keep flagrantly blowing money for no apparent reason except for your own personal and political gain.
Wake Up CAMDEN, It’s TIME FOR A CHANGE! Vote 2008 we have the power to change history.
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