Effingham sheriff pleads guilty to drug charges, resigns

SPRINGFIELD - Suspended Effingham County Sheriff Jay Space pleaded guilty Friday to drug charges and resigned his post. <br> <br> Space, 40, was arrested on a charge of possession of controlled substances earlier this month. <br> <br> Space had abused painkillers and other prescription drugs since he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last year, according to court papers seeking to remove the sheriff from office. <br> <br> Gov. Roy Barnes had suspended Space earlier this month, saying his illness made him unfit for duty. The suspension did not mention drugs. <br> <br> Court papers filed by District Attorney Joe Martin say Space&#39;s drug use, reckless driving and bizarre behavior prove he needs to be permanently removed from office. <br> <br> ``Sheriff Space is incapacitated as a result of the use and abuse of prescription medications,&#39;&#39; as well as the effects of his disease, the court filing says. <br> <br> Prosecutors say Space illegally bought several controlled drugs including the sedative Valium, the anti-depressant Paxil and the painkillers tramadol, dihydrocodeine, Percocet and OxyContin. <br> <br> Space also made monthly purchases of 500 tablets of the drug butalbital, a potentially addictive barbiturate used to treat tension headaches, the court records say. <br> <br> The documents also detail accounts of Space&#39;s odd behavior. In one account, Space pesters a female county employee about the color of her underwear. In another, he literally stomps on Georgia&#39;s new state flag. <br> <br> Space&#39;s attorneys did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. <br> <br> Before his suspension, Space declared several times he could do his job while battling MS, a degenerative disease that causes loss of muscle control.