John Bennett, the Republican seeking the representative’s seat, alleged Lockhart “is conducting a smear campaign to benefit his crony, Rep. Bud Smithson.”
Glen “Bud” Smithson (D-Sallisaw) is the Democratic incumbent who is seeking re-election. Lockhart said Smithson has nothing to do with an audit of a Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant awarded to previous sheriff Johnny Philpot.,
Lockhart said he called for an audit of sheriff’s department funding when he became sheriff, and the Department of Justice, the Office of the Inspector General and the COPS Office Legal Division determined that Bennett, the project manager, did not work fulltime as the project manager and received “over and above his actual work hours,” from August through December 2008. The federal government asked by a letter received May 25 to be reimbursed for a portion of Bennett’s salary — $15,896.95 of the total $79,298 grant. It was claimed that Bennett was working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs fulltime during those same months.
Lockhart presented the audit finding to county commissioners at their meeting June 21 and the reimbursement was approved.
Bennett said he was working for the Department of Veterans Affairs during the months in question, but he worked weekends and nights to fulfill his commitment to the COPS program, as he was asked to do by the sheriff’s department.
Lockhart, in a written response issued Thursday, denied he and Smithson were working together to “smear” Bennett, and said the audit was requested, as is often done, when a new elected official takes office.
In the letter to the public, Lockhart said: “This letter is intended as an informative letter to the citizens of Sequoyah County about the Department of Justice audit of the 2007 COPS Methamphetamine Grant. The COPS grant was awarded to the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s office in 2007 to be administered over a two-year period to fight the growing methamphetamine problem in Sequoyah County as well as the trafficking on I-40. The grant was awarded and was administered by the sheriff. In January 2009, when I took office, an audit of the grant was requested as part of the procedure to transfer the administration of the grant from the former sheriff to myself. Over the course of the 15-month audit the Department of Justice investigators summarized in a letter dated May 25, 2010, that funds had been misappropriated in the area of the grant coordinator’s salary. The grant specifically outlines the amount of money that can be spent for coordination work, $79,298, for the three-year period. The investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General and the COPS Office Legal Division reported John Bennett was paid “over and above his actual work hours” from August to December 2008. The salary drawn for that five-month period was $15,896.95.
“As a result of the audit, the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Department has been ordered to pay back the $15,896.95 that was misappropriated within 30 days. Prompt repayment will prevent the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Department from becoming ineligible to apply and receive grant funding from Federal agencies. The repayment was approved in a meeting of the Sequoyah County Commissioners on June 21. Additionally, a time extension has been granted to extend the life of the grant to four years. This grant is important to the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s department, assisting with new equipment and overtime salaries for the deputies.
“In summary, the only intention of the audit was to close out the business of the former sheriff and begin the business of the new sheriff. I had no idea or involvement in how long the audit would take or the findings that would result. It is unfortunate that Mr. Bennett felt there was a personal attack on him or some sabotage to his campaign, but that simply was not the case. I’m not campaigning, for either candidate for state representative, and Bud Smithson had no involvement or knew anything about the audit. When the audit began Mr. Bennett was not a candidate for office nor had he indicated his intent to run for state representative or any other office.”
Bennett and Smithson will be on the general election ballot on Nov. 2.
