Curry County commissioners have accused the sheriff’s office of selling $10,000 worth of county ammunition to officers and at least one community member at a discounted government rate. They say those sales, which occurred six years ago, may have broken a state law against using a public position for financial gain.
In a statement, Sheriff John Ward denied any wrongdoing.
“It is sad that the (Board of Commissioners) and their county counsel want to spin it as something we did wrong, when in fact it was all above board,” Ward said.
He said an ammunition supplier advertised the sale to his office. The ammunition was offered to employees or reserves for training purposes. He called the accusations of misconduct politically and personally motivated.
The county has provided documents showing a sheriff’s office invoice for the ammunition and personal checks written out to the department.
Former Commissioner Brad Alcorn, who also worked as a reserve deputy, brought the issue to the county after finding ammunition he purchased from the sheriff's office in 2020.
County Counsel Ted Fitzgerald said Ward told him no county money was used to buy the ammunition but would not provide records to support that claim.
“County money was expended because public funds were used to purchase the ammunition,” Fitzgerald said.
Invoices show the sheriff’s office later recovered nearly all ammunition costs through individual purchases, except for about $500 in shipping expenses.
“Every cent paid for the ammo was paid by the employees who wanted some extra ammo to practice with,” Ward said. “There are many agencies that provide their employees with ammo monthly at no cost so they can go out and practice on their own to maintain proficiency. We can’t afford to do those things.”
Fitzgerald said the county buys all practice ammunition for the sheriff's office, and this ammunition was not used for training.
“In 2020, during COVID, ammunition was almost impossible to get as a civilian,” he noted.
Fitzgerald said the county used a third-party investigator to look into the sales and has referred the issue to the state Department of Justice and Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
This is the latest dispute between the board and the sheriff’s office, which has sparred frequently over funding. The Board of Commissioners sued the sheriff’s office last year after Ward refused to provide records to the county and attend board meetings. The judge sided with the county on most points in that lawsuit, although the court did not require Ward to attend meetings.
“I have asked the sheriff's office for a variety of different information since July of 2024 and virtually nothing has been forthcoming,” Fitzgerald said.
“The BOC and their county counsel have been publicly accusing us of lots of different things for the past couple years,” Ward said. “That’s another story.”
