Effingham swears in interim sheriff

SPRINGFIELD - Less than 24 hours after the governor ordered the suspension of Effingham County Sheriff Jay Space, the county swore in Richard Bush, a lieutenant and supervisor in the sheriff&#39;s department, as interim sheriff. <br> <br> Governor Barnes suspended Space on Tuesday for 60 days at the recommendation of a three-member committee, which investigated claims that multiple sclerosis has rendered Space unfit for the job. <br> <br> The 40-year-old Space is in the middle of his second four-year term. <br> <br> Deputies went to Space&#39;s home in Rincon on Tuesday, told him about the suspension and collected his badge, service revolver and keys to his car. <br> <br> Superior Court Chief Judge William Woodrum Junior made Bush&#39;s appointment official. <br> <br> Under Georgia law, a sheriff can be removed from office only if the district attorney files a petition for removal and then proves his case in Superior Court. <br> <br> In his executive order, the governor said, ``If the district attorney intends to bring a removal petition, he is admonished to do so without delay.&#39;&#39;

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/6/193330