Department funds used to pay wife
health insurance
Jake Shore, The Island Packet (Hilton Head Island, SC)
(MCT)
December 31 – A Beaufort County fire chief admitted he violated the state’s ethics law after the fire department paid his wife’s insurance for more than a year.
On December 21, the SC State Ethics Commission found that Sheldon’s fire chief, Buddy Jones, violated 16 ethics law charges after approving the payment of insurance premiums for his wife, who was a suspended employee of the department at the time.
“It was done inadvertently,” Jones said in an interview. “I made the mistake. I didn’t do it right. It was paid back. “
His wife reimbursed the Sheldon Fire District at $ 11,000 for payments on January 8, 2019, according to an order of consent.
Diane Jones was a district firefighter, but was suspended in March 2017 after being arrested on charges of providing alcohol to minors. She later pleaded guilty to the charge and resigned in October 2018.
Previously, Diane Jones’ health insurance premiums were deducted from her salary. During her suspension, however, when she was not being paid, her insurance premiums were still being paid.
Chief Jones was in charge of signing all checks in the department, including those paying his wife’s insurance premiums. This continued for 16 months and reached $ 11,000, according to documents.
Payments stopped after an ethics complaint was submitted to the commission in July 2018.
Last week, the commission issued a public reprimand and fined Chief Jones $ 1,800. He said he paid the fine.
Retired, rehired
Another allegation in the complaint, considered unfounded, was related to Chief Jones’ retirement on January 31, 2018. He was rehired at his former job 30 days later.
Some state employees may retire, wait 30 days to be rehired and receive a salary and retirement benefit at the same time.
The complaint alleged that this was inappropriate because Sheldon Fire District Council President Wayne Blankenship met Jones in secret eight days before the council held a public vote to reinstall him.
Blankenship told the Beaufort Gazette in 2019 that he did not remember the date of the meeting, nor whether it was published or whether minutes were drawn up.
He told a reporter that Jones kept his job because he had known him for a long time and that the department was working well.
Jones said: “No evidence has been found.
“I have full faith in my advice,” he said. “I have been frank with this thing.”
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