Liberty County cuts sheriff’s spending after investigation reveals abuse

Liberty County is reining in Sheriff William Bowman’s spending after a WJCL 22 investigation found he spent thousands of dollars on speed zone fines for sports equipment at a high school.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Liberty County and the Sheriff’s Office was approved by a vote of 4 to 2 at last night’s commission meeting. It sets limits on funding that did not exist until we started asking questions.

“I have always been in favor of a declaration of intent. And I am glad that we have finally reached this point,” said Commissioner Gary Gilliard.

Bowman’s questionable spending was exposed in an April WJCL 22 investigation. We found that Bowman spent $25,000 of ticket proceeds on high school sports equipment. There is no mention of another $20,000 check addressed to the Bradwell Institute band for their trip, which also appears to have been used for that money.

The problem is Georgia law. It’s very specific about what governments can spend the money on: law enforcement or public safety. That’s all, and that’s why the agreement was necessary from the county commissioners’ perspective.

But that doesn’t mean the decision was unanimous. Two commissioners voted against it, including Commissioner Justin Frazier, who said officials should start over.

The new agreement states that the county now retains control of the funds. Sheriff Bowman must ask the county before using the money, and he must spend it on exactly prescribed things. All of this must be related to the duties of his deputies.

Liberty County officials say Bowman can use up to 20% of the funds to pay school security guards.

“I believe this agreement is the best way forward for all parties and I highly recommend it,” said District Attorney Kelly Davis.

WJCL 22 News has reached out to Bowman for comment. He did not respond to our repeated requests.