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Obscure law allowed Alabama sheriff to LEGALLY pocket at least $750,000 in taxpayer funds [tr]
A P ^ | March 16, 2018

Posted on 03/16/2018 8:07:09 AM PDT by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

Full Title: Obscure pre-WWII law allowed Alabama sheriff Todd Entrekin to LEGALLY pocket at least $750,000 in taxpayer funds

GADSDEN, Ala. — An Alabama sheriff legally used more than $750,000 of funds meant to feed inmates to purchase a beach house.

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin told The Birmingham News he follows a state law passed before World War II that allows sheriffs to keep “excess” inmate-feeding funds for themselves.

Entrekin reported on state ethics forms that he made “more than $250,000” each of the past three years through the funds.

The sheriff’s annual salary is more than $93,000.

He and his wife purchased a four-bedroom house with an in-ground pool and canal access in September for $740,000. [snip]

“Clearly this is a practice which is problematic because it creates an incentive for sheriffs to spend as little as possible on feeding folks.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: alabama; corruption; donutwatch; greed; sheriff; theft
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Sheriff E. had better install tight security at his new beach house.
1 posted on 03/16/2018 8:07:09 AM PDT by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
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2 posted on 03/16/2018 8:09:23 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 215.71 from 50% increase 1.2183 yrs..)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

So much for The Rule of Law proponents.


3 posted on 03/16/2018 8:10:31 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

It appears to me that he was following the law...


4 posted on 03/16/2018 8:14:14 AM PDT by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
“Clearly this is a practice which is problematic because it creates an incentive for sheriffs to spend as little as possible on feeding folks.”

Not that the incentive is bad. Prisoners should not be getting fat on the taxpayers’ expense. But the excess funds should not pocketed by the sheriff.

Those funds should be put to a useful purpose that benefits the public at large or the tax burden on the public should be reduced.

I prefer the latter.

5 posted on 03/16/2018 8:15:16 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.L)
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To: WayneS

Guilty as H377, free as a bird.


6 posted on 03/16/2018 8:15:43 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Pontiac

Exactly.

Alabama need to update its law regarding how their sheriffs are compensated.


7 posted on 03/16/2018 8:19:55 AM PDT by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

So he did the math and figured he could feed them PB&J sandwiches instead of hot dogs and save the county $750,000, and he then rewarded himself for his frugalness of taxpayer funds...

My bet would be that this department is out of control based upon his actions. Once the line deputies see that command staff is getting away with this kind of behavior then they will quickly follow suit. If there is one thing I know about cops is that there are quite a few that have the attitude of entitlement. If someone is getting something they will do their best to make sure they get some too...


8 posted on 03/16/2018 8:20:57 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

It may be ‘legal’ but you’re still a piece of crap.


9 posted on 03/16/2018 8:21:18 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

It may be ‘legal’ but you’re still a piece of crap.


10 posted on 03/16/2018 8:21:26 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
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To: WayneS

...then it was ok?


11 posted on 03/16/2018 8:25:37 AM PDT by fuzzylogic (welfare state = sharing consequences of poor moral choices among everybody)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

On top of being a greedy SOB, the sheriff is pretty stupid. He could have taken the same money and bought income-producing properties that would have produced sufficient income to pay for that same house...and he’d have kept the properties, which would appreciate and also have increased equity every single month as the mortgages were paid down.

Greedy and stupid...wow, what a combination.


12 posted on 03/16/2018 8:28:41 AM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." A. E. van Vogt)
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To: DoughtyOne

A good reason for all laws to have sunset provisions, requiring legislators to get off their asses and (a) pass fewer laws, (b) make all laws subject to periodic review, and check all laws for their sunset provision and actively legislate to keep them or let them die.


13 posted on 03/16/2018 8:28:43 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: fuzzylogic

No. Just because something is legal does not mean it is ethical.

But it is clear Alabama needs to update its law regarding how sheriffs are compensated.

...and at the vey least, he should have shared the money with his deputies.


14 posted on 03/16/2018 8:29:11 AM PDT by WayneS (An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. - Winston Churchill.)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
"Prison loaf" is cheap eats for inmates...


15 posted on 03/16/2018 8:32:21 AM PDT by Carriage Hill ( Life is simpler, when you plow around the stump.)
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To: shotgun
So he did the math and figured he could feed them PB&J sandwiches instead of hot dogs and save the county $750,000, and he then rewarded himself for his frugalness of taxpayer funds...

I'm sure the PB&J (et al) wasn't exactly quality stuff either, once he saw that he could maximize his profits this way. Inmates shouldn't get steak, but they shouldn't get blue-from-mold bologna either.

16 posted on 03/16/2018 8:40:12 AM PDT by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies

This is the media’s payback for Sheriff Todd Entrekin’s endorsement of Judge Roy Moore.


17 posted on 03/16/2018 8:43:24 AM PDT by Blue House Sue
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To: WayneS

“It appears to me that he was following the law...”

Spot on.

Sheriff Todd Entrekin followed the law, used taxpayer money to provide create jobs in the real estate and construction industries, but because he endorsed Judge Roy Moore, he is being attacked for Following the Law, which is exactly what a sheriff is supposed to do.


18 posted on 03/16/2018 8:50:45 AM PDT by Blue House Sue
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To: Blue House Sue

This is wrong regardless of who Entrekin endorsed and what the law states.

It was a bad law that should have been exposed and fixed a long time ago.


19 posted on 03/16/2018 8:51:04 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: WayneS
Just because it's the law, does not mean the law is just.

That is why we have the right to a trial by our peers.

20 posted on 03/16/2018 8:51:14 AM PDT by rawcatslyentist ("All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing")
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