Missing Funds Found
Taxpayers, know how your curbside money is working for you? Well, if the bill was paid last week it’s probably in a state crime lab awaiting forensic analysis.
Investigator David Ledford of the Jasper County Sheriff Department took possession of an envelope, 95 checks, three deposit slips and two dimes that were discovered lying underneath the first floor flight of stairs at the Courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
All the checks were payments submitted to the county involving planning & zoning, landfill, or curbside services. Deposit slips for each of those departments were included with the checks, which were all stamped for deposit by one of those departments.
The deposits totaled more than $6,900 and would have included nearly $2,000 in cash. No currency was discovered with the other property.
Upon leaving the Courthouse via the Towee Street exit following a Board of Tax Assessors meeting (see related story, page 9) in the commission meeting room, reporter Susan Jacobs noticed the envelope and checks tucked underneath the staircase.
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In reporting the found property to the authorities, it was revealed that the money was noticed missing on Monday by personnel in the county commission office.
Planning & zoning director Peggy Billerman said that county administrator Phil Peevy contacted her office Tuesday morning to inform her that missing was a deposit from curbside, a department her office oversees. There was no reference made to the absence of the other deposits, she said.
The director recalled that deposits for planning & zoning and curbside were delivered to the commission office on Halloween Friday just past noon and that her office had dated and timed receipts detailing when the money was received by the commission office.
Taxpayers who fear that their payment may have gotten caught in the crossfire can quell some concerns. Mrs. Billerman said that it wouldn’t be a problem to generate a list of individuals and payments received by planning & zoning and curbside offices because in-house records of all payments were compiled.
During a Tuesday afternoon phone conversation with landfill director Kenneth Tillman, he said that he had not been informed by anyone in the commission office of the situation.
Commission Chairman Russell Bennett was notified Monday afternoon, at some point after the commission meeting, by Mr. Peevy that an envelope containing money was missing from the office. Mr. Bennett said that the county administrator informed him that the sheriff’s department had been notified.
When questioned about protocol for deposits from the various county departments, the chairman said that monies are to be taken to the county commission office for registry and deposited by personnel in that office.
“Several people have keys to the building including the construction crew. It seems as though we may have to change the locks,” Mr. Bennett said.
The chairman said that this was the first such incident, that he knew of, since the office was relocated.
Vice chairman Carl Pennamon could not be reached for comment.
When contacted Tuesday, Mr. Peevy would not confirm or deny that money was missing.
“I can’t make any comment,” said the county administrator.
Commissioner Charles Hill said the first he heard of the missing money was Tuesday evening after it had been recovered.
Investigator Ledford said that the investigation would be coordinated with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The property, now in evidence, will be sent to a crime lab and dusted for fingerprints.
