Rhea County Sheriff’s Office under investigation for improper activities

DAYTON (WDEF) – The Tennessee Comptroller’s Office has found several financial and policy issues in the Rhea County Sheriff’s Office.

The findings cover a seven year period and the results have been turned over to the District Attorney General.

Here are some of the findings:

— The sheriff and jail staff improperly released inmates from jail without court officer approval.
— Two department employees performed work for the sheriff and his son while being paid by the department.
— Three department employees misappropriated at least $20,678.58 by receiving compensation for time not worked.
— The sheriff authorized the animal shelter administrator to perform questionable duties and assigned her a weapon. The administrator was not P.O.S.T. certified.
— The Rhea County Angel Tree Toy Drive, which is operated by the sheriff’s department, made questionable expenditures totaling at least $12,124.22.
— Comptroller investigators also identified several operational deficiencies, some of which contributed to the investigative findings. For example, the department failed to maintain timesheets for all employees and did not always document compensatory time earned by staff.

You can read more of the specific findings in the audit by clicking here.

“The Rhea County Sheriff must hold employees accountable for the pervasive issues in his department’s operations,” said Comptroller Mumpower. “Not only did employees violate the department’s policies and procedures, but some of these violations also benefited the sheriff and others at the expense of the department. The sheriff should ensure all actions within the department align with the code of ethics and policies.”