From:
The Florida Times-Union
August 23, 2007Camden sheriff's office money issues grow
By Gordon Jackson, The Times-Union
KINGSLAND - Gina Evanson, the purchasing agent for the Camden County Sheriff's Office, has been suspended indefinitely with pay while she is investigated for using a county credit card twice to purchase personal items and writing bad checks to pay for the expenditures. -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
County officials also want to investigate the authenticity of a $893.49 check that Evanson presented in May. Evanson said the check was written to Wal-Mart in February to offset Christmas purchases she made on a Camden County credit card.
When asked six months ago about the unauthorized expenses to purchase a trampoline, toys, a DVD player and a TV, Evanson told county officials she mistakenly grabbed the wrong card and had already written a check directly to Wal-Mart to repay the debt.
But, according to the county finance department, Wal-Mart officials said they have no record of the check Evanson showed county officials in February.
Instead, county records show Evanson wrote a Western Union money order on June 20 - six weeks after she showed county officials a copy of the check from her personal banking account.
County records also show Evanson used her county credit card at the same St. Marys Wal-Mart store on Jan. 20 to purchase $221.85 in merchandise such as wash cloths, linens and a rug.
County officials said they learned about the second unauthorized use of the credit card while trying to substantiate Evanson's claim she repaid Wal-Mart directly for the earlier debt.
In this instance, however, there is no doubt Evanson knew she was using a county credit card, County Commissioner Steve Berry said.
"She specifically asked the clerk to add sales tax [for the purchase]," he said. "She's not accidentally using our credit card, she's intentionally using our credit card."
In a memo written to commissioners Monday, county finance director Mike Fender said a statement from Wal-Mart his office received this month shows two checks written by Evanson were credited to the county account for the Jan. 20 purchases. The charges were "then added back due to the fact the personal checks were insufficient," Fender said.
"When you piece together the trail of documents, there seems to be intent to defraud the county," Fender wrote. "First, it shouldn't have happened once, much less twice. Why did we not know until we called Wal-Mart that there was a second personal invoice?"
Berry, prior to Tuesday night's County Commission meeting, said he was prepared to ask for a vote demanding Evanson's suspension, and to ask the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to look into the unauthorized credit card charges and the District Attorney's Office to file criminal charges.
After Capt. Wesley Walker, a sheriff's deputy, told commissioners of Evanson's suspension, Berry said he was satisfied with the response, but he expected more, such as suspension without pay.
"Anywhere else in America, you'd be fired instantly, and probably prosecuted, except here," he said. "It'll be interesting to see what [Sheriff] Bill Smith does."
Commissioner David Rainer said the issue regarding Evanson could have been resolved better, without putting the issue on Tuesday's meeting agenda.
Berry said Evanson, as the sheriff's purchasing agent, should have known better.
"We're not trying to beat up on her, but she misused our credit card, lied about it and wrote two bad checks to pay it off six months after the fact," he said. "It's her job to look after our money. There's an element of trust here."
gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com,
(912) 729-3672
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082307/geo_193782625.shtml.
TRSP Review:
If she is found guilty will she have to pay the county back her pay she received while on leave?
She also received 3,377.56 of the drug fund money in the year 2003/2004, for school.
Hell of a way to payback the county.
I will post that audit in a little bit.
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4 comments:
Sheriff Smith really takes care of his women.... First Evanson is hired without any formal training. Then she is given drug fund money to pursue an education. Finally she is given a County credit card to do her personal shopping.
Sounds like Evanson and Sears are in competition for the same person. Who received more for their services, Sears or Evanson?
Out of all the money that the County pays Sheriff Smith, not including his personal wealth. He insist on using taxpayers money to support his women and his son.
I am not a Steve Berry fan, but he is doing a GREAT JOB monitoring the taxpayers money. I understand that Sandy Feller hates him and wants to share his spotlight. But I think Sandy is beating a dead horse. Leave Steve Berry alone and let him keep on with the peoples business.
Rick do you have a picture of Evanson? I know that the Sheriff is partial to blondes.
OK so an employee screwed up big deal this happens in our world on a daily basis. Hummm? Lets think back to County Commissioner Artie Jones who misused the County Credit Card on more than one occasion while in office. He wasn't shot, strung up, horse whipped,or thrown out of office. He just paid it back and was reprimanded and continued on with life as a person and a County Commissioner. The world did not end then, and will not end this time either. Get over It
You left one thing out! He was not re-elected either! So he was punished.
I also heard that she was the person charging gas on the county card for several trips to Virginia.
Anyone else heard this ?
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