State Auditor Completes Investigation of Buncombe County Sheriff
Today, the North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek (R) released his report on the investigation into the Buncombe County Sheriff Office’s finances.
“As a result of this investigation and what our team found and reported on, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has taken steps to rectify the wrong that’s been done,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “I’ve also reached out to the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association to offer my office’s assistance to sheriffs across the state. Together, we’ll be working on best practices to help make sure this issue doesn’t occur elsewhere.”
After serious allegations of financial mismanagement at the Buncombe County Sheriff Department, the Auditor’s office began its investigation that uncovered several issues with the department’s finances.
The audit uncovered that the sheriff office wrongly kept $19,272 in inmate accounts impacting 914 individuals released from custody. The inmate account program allows individuals to pay for certain costs like work release fees, restitution, medical triage fees, and items from the commissary. Upon release, inmates are supposed to have their funds returned to them, but that was not happening.
Additionally, the audit showed that inmate funds increased by $354,804 with no explanation, and the Auditor’s office recommended the Sheriff Department work with the County Finance operation to determine the source of these unexplained funds.
In response to the audit, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller (D) announced plans to implement both of the auditor’s recommendations to resolve the financial issues with the department and return the funds to the correct individuals.
