Alabama sheriff legally used over $750,000 of funds meant to feed inmates to purchase a beach house

[Miles Archer]

GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) — 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.

http://news3lv.com/news/nation-world/sheriff-legally-used-inmate-food-funds-for-beach-house

[packman]

1. How do you spell "IRS"

The taxman should be very interested in this.

Alabama sheriff doing shitty Alabama sheriff stuff.

[dixiegrrrrl]

31. Ala. legislature has a new law that would end that practice.

Currently my county has that old law, and also one that says probate judges can use fees they collect as payment for their job.
the old law is perfectly legal, is taxable income.
New law is supposed to take effect this fall. Or maybe we are voting on it....not sure.
One way or the other, it is being discussed, is in the papers and local news.

[Angry Dragon]

2. In my day people like this were called 'pigs'

[LisaM]

3. My question is, what was he feeding the inmates?

I shudder to think about it.

[Lucinda]

39. That will most likely be the way he is brought to some justice...That is a huge amount of money

to rake in over three years. I can't imagine the inmates have been treated following legal guidelines.

[riversedge]

4. I am speechless. yes. i. am.

[badhair77]

5. Theres an article on Al.com with more information.

Sorry, I cannot copy the link from my iPad.

This guy has his own personal swamp. Plus he has contributions from people and businesses the sheriff’s office and county do business with. It may be legal but it is unethical and the taxpayers should be furious.

[dalton99a]

7. Here:

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/03/etowah_sheriff_pocketed_over_7.html
Etowah sheriff pockets $750k in jail food funds, buys $740k beach house
Updated Mar 13; Posted Mar 13
By Connor Sheets
[e-mail]

In September, Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin and his wife Karen purchased an orange four-bedroom house with an in-ground pool and canal access in an upscale section of Orange Beach for $740,000.

To finance the purchase, Entrekin got a $592,000 mortgage from Peoples Bank of Alabama, according to public real estate records. The home is one of several properties with a total assessed value of more than $1.7 million that the couple own together or separately in Etowah and Baldwin counties.

Some Etowah County residents question how a county sheriff making a five-figure annual salary can afford to own multiple houses, including one worth nearly three-quarters of a million dollars.

But ethics disclosure forms Entrekin filed with the state reveal that over the past three years he has received more than $750,000 worth of additional "compensation" from a source he identified as "Food Provisions."

[badhair77]

10. Thanks.

I also hit the wrong button and deleted my whole first attempt and had to rewrite. Not my day between autocorrect and delete. Grrrr . . .

[Miles Archer]

9. Here you go

http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/03/etowah_sheriff_pocketed_over_7.html

[badhair77]

16. Thanks for posting the original article in you op.

[Blue_true]

12. Alabama has serious financial problems right now.

At one point the governor, House Speaker and Senate President were charged with corruption at the same time. But outside of Doug Jones, voters there keep electing the same old corrupt republicans as if nothing went wrong.

[badhair77]

17. Will they ever learn or is it someone elses fault, like Obamas or Hillarys?

Or Comey’s?
Or CNN’s?

The list of bogeymen is long. I’m guessing the answer is no

[Blue_true]

19. It is the California money that Alabamians get for free.

If they had to raise the money through taxes that they have to pay they would not be so cavalier when voting.

[badhair77]

24. So true.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. Ala. has 8 to 9.5 % taxes on food and other items.

8% is the state's share, then counties add on more.
We pay 9.5% every time we buy something except prescriptions, those are not taxed.

It kinda sorta makes up for the low property taxes, and zero property taxes for seniors and/or disabled
home owners. Mostly the 65 and over get that break.

There is an income tax also.

We don't have to pay either of the above taxes, but to me, the 10% grab at every store almost makes up for that.

[Blue_true]

37. Those are heavy taxes.

What is happening to the money? Does Alabama have lots of seniors not getting taxed? Are there business giveaways?

[dixiegrrrrl]

42. The taxes go into the general fund.

Everybody has to pay POP ( point of purchase) taxes.
Seniors do not have to pay property taxes on their primary residence, and on some land.
Ala. offers incentives for businesses to come here.

Most states use property taxes to fund schools, but of course Ala. and other southern states do not.
whole 'nother story.

[IluvPitties]

6. Good ol' boy network at work.

[MrScorpio]

8. Yay cops, they ARE the best.

[lpbk2713]

11. Green baloney on week old bread.

Just like Arpaio.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

26. Or surplus corn dogs by the truckload. Twice a day. Per one of the examples in the article.

[spanone]

13. america, the land of opportunity

[DFW]

14. Greed, pigs and Slime

I do not like you Todd-you're-odd

[Baitball Blogger]

15. A-L-A-B-A-M-A

Does anyone have any doubt that it's going to take a surgical approach to their state and local laws to find those rules that are long past their expiration dates?

[Adrahil]

18. How much you wanna bet...

that he's "fiscally conservative" and thinks the gubmint should not be spending money for welfare?

[temporary311]

20. Wasn't this basically the plot of Brubaker?

[struggle4progress]

21. Ah, Etowah County! Home to that great jurist, Roy Moore!

Etowah County Sheriff Entrekin was endorsing Roy last November

And the Etowah County Sheriff's Office are the folk who "investigated" the recent arson at Tina Johnson's home, saying there was no evidence it was related to her sexual harassment accusations against Moore

http://southerntorch.com/30078-2/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/05/us/fire-home-of-roy-moore-accuser/index.html

[badhair77]

25. Oh good grief.

This goes beyond “good old boyism”

If this practice keeps up we are doomed. Thanks for posting this info. As upsetting as it is we need to know what is encompassed in the fight.

[Doc_Technical]

22. If you're going to go bad, go big.

[Kajun Gal]

23. Oh my. Not cool.

[jberryhill]

27. To be fair...

It's hard to built a decent house out of jail food.

[njhoneybadger]

28. A man after Dumps own heart, how would you like to be Attorney General Todd

[BadgerMom]

29. Smiling, overfed criminal

[Butterflylady]

30. That's disgusting.

Can't wait for his karma to catch up.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

32. If they fire him tRump will hire him - a perfect fit.

Bubbas take care of their own. Sessions will have his office ready when he arrives in D.C.

..........

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. So, basically, my tax dollars just bought this

m'fucker a 750K house and it's all legal. This is so fucked up.

[Demovictory9]

41. Agreed

[KY_EnviroGuy]

35. How can they declare the funds as excess if..

the inmates are not adequately fed. Surely there are minimal health standards. Would like to see the ACLU get hold of this one.

And, $250,000 per year in excess for one county?

.............

[barbtries]

36. i hate to imagine what he's feeding inmates.

that is unconscionable.

[PatrickforO]

38. Guy looks like a real slime.

God help the people who fall into his hands.

That is one EVIL ASSED smile.

[dameatball]

40. I have fundamentalist right wing law abiding neighbors that have simply stopped watching news

They know there are many issues that conflict with their beliefs, so the safe house is to become unaware. I think this is more prevalent than many people think.


But.......I think they are lying and still watch FOX.