McIntosh County court spends hundreds on candy

DARIEN - An audit of the McIntosh County Magistrate Court uncovered a sweet tooth among employees there. Hundreds of dollars in court funds were spent on candy, soft drinks, chips and coffee creamer, along with some office supplies, a recent report showed. <br> <br> The County Commission conducted the audit after asking District Attorney Tom Durden to investigate the court&#39;s spending. Durden has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to examine the records and report its findings to his office. <br> <br> Partial results by Moore Stephens Tiller LLC show that $95 was spent at a Wal-Mart store in March 2000 for candy, cups and tissue paper, among other items. The same receipt shows about $81 for printer cartridges, pens and refills. <br> <br> Five months later, someone spent $61.45 at Fred&#39;s of Darien, again mostly for candy. Brand names on the receipts include Hershey, Life Saver, Planters, Mr. Goodbar and Butterfinger. <br> <br> Some invoices contained only office supplies, but one, a $215.57 bill for pens, refills and highlight markers among other things, noted that the company had sent along a free tin of jelly beans. <br> <br> Even if no criminal act is revealed, County Attorney Adam Poppell III said, the Magistrate Court cannot spend money it acquires from fines and fees on any kind of expenses. <br> <br> By law, that revenue must be transferred to the county commission, which adopts budgets for all county offices and pays their bills. <br> <br> Deputy Magistrate Teresa Jennings&#39; name appeared on some of the documents but she referred questions to her lawyer, Sam Hensley Jr. <br> <br> Hensley said the purchases served ``a legitimate purpose of the court.&#39;&#39; The candy is given to inmates who had been on ``crack&#39;&#39; cocaine and other drugs, to help them control themselves during initial court appearances. <br> <br> The candy also helps placate restless youngsters who come to court with their parents, he said. <br> <br> Sheriff Charles ``Chunk&#39;&#39; Jones said inmates can buy candy from the jail commissary. He said his office has nothing to do with Magistrate Court operations.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/7/192811