A nearly three-month audit of the Troup County Sheriff’s Office’s drug seizure accounts revealed that the accounts had nearly been wiped clean before Sheriff James Woodruff took office in January.
“The people of Troup County have the right to know what happened to the money and why we don’t have any of the money,” Woodruff said.
The three audited accounts are funded through drug seizures, one from local drug seizures and the other two through federal seizures.
Woodruff asked during the county’s annual audit of county accounts by J.K. Boatwright and Co. to focus on purchases of more than $5,000 from July 2012 to December 2012.
The federal forfeiture account in July had more than $2 million, but by December had about $1,000 after checks had cleared after the audit, Woodruff said. The audit report showed that more than $1.1 million in merchandise or funds from this account were given to Georgia State Patrol.
“We do give to other agencies, but it is not common to give such large amounts to GSP in only a six-month period,” Woodruff said.
Items given to GSP include four canines, tasers, radar guns, 25 guns, cameras, operation readers and shotguns. Invoices were not found for more than $35,000 in purchases.
In the Federal Forfeiture-ICE account, $65,214.90 sat in the account in July. No funds in the account were used until December, when a donation of $63,755.77 was given to the state Department of Public Safety, leaving the account with just more than $1,500.
“It is unknown why that much amount was given away, but we usually don’t donate that much to another law enforcement agency,” Woodruff said.
It was discovered, but not listed in the audit, that a 2007 Dodge pickup truck was given to the Meriwether County Sheriff”s Office, and a Ford Expedition that was given to clerk of court was returned voluntarily.
Though the funds may have been frivolously spent, Woodruff said one large beneficial purchase made from the federal forfeiture account was a customized crime scene truck. The truck was purchased for $123,835 and would be used when deputies and investigators were dispatched to lengthy crime scenes investigations.
Other major purchases for the TCSO on the audit included 12 Ford Crown Victoria patrol vehicles totaling $340,560 and a sheriff’s dive team boat at $75,000, and $7,695 in miscellaneous car equipment. Equipment for the sheriff’s dive team totaling $11,938 and 10 invoices for uniforms totaling $7,882.66 were drawn on the local seized drug fund charter account, which contained $31,728.53 in July, though Woodruff said he is not sure who received the uniforms.
“It’s upsetting that so much was given away that we could have used here,” Woodruff said.
Former Sheriff Donny Turner could not be reached for comment.
Sorry that these comments are coming so late. It shows the hours and days I've spent trying not to believe the rumors, but I guess the audit says it all. Understanding that money was given to other agencies for the purchase of equipment that your own deputies do not have for the protection of not only the citizens but the deputies,unless they purchase their own, and this does happen, leads to a deeper anger. As with the original Troup_Tax_Payer commentator on 4/10, Our family has been like yours. Close friends, defender of "rumors" often heard about Donnie were met with defense of the sheriff. I still want to believe that most of the other rumors are just that but when you prove one it does plant some seeds of doubt.
So the question is where do we go from here?
1. Do not let the actions of one elected official tarnish the hard work of all. Many have taken time from their families often with little gratitude for trying to make Troup County and LaGrange a better place to live.
2. I call upon our newly elected Sheriff to work with the County Commissioners to establish an "oversight" committee for these drug funds.
3. While I understand the need to sometimes share these funds with other agencies in the team effort to fight drugs, we should take care of those who take care of the citizens of Troup County first.
4. The Troup County Commission should meet with our Senators and Representatives as well as the Commander of the Ga. State Patrol to return the funds donated by the former sheriff. It should not matter that the sheriffs son is a State Trooper or not. Although the donation was probably not illegal, the State Patrol should not ethically keep this 'donation' knowing the full story.
5. The commissioners should also work closely with Sheriff to work at keeping our deputies in Troup County instead of paying for all of the training to prepare deputies and then loosing them to the City of LaGrange, Coweta County and as far away as Atlanta because of the embarrassing pay.
Donnie, you owe the citizens of Troup County an apology if not for your actions during the last election but for the at best wasteful spending of money that leaves the citizen and the deputies in jeapordy.
Yea Donnie lost, and Troup is better for it, as demonstrated by the reality he made sure, with malice and forethought, that his own former deputies won't have some equipmentthey otherwise would have. And that may well cost a deputy their life, or inhibit an officer from saving the life of a Troup resident . . .all because of HIS selfish, sour-grapes, skullduggery.
And frankly, that fancy crime scene truck, for our area . . .overkill. Hard to imagine we really need more than a 40,000 dollar trailer for the occasional . . . VERY occasional need for "lengthy" on scene investigations. Equipment like that would be better off being a "shared" thing between multiple counties . . .if at all.