Of all things to have happen on election eve, you just know something like THIS is going to happen in a place like Lawrence.
And what a “something” it is.
Over the years, a lot of people have come to understand that former Lawrenceville police chief Mike Mefford is not quite the squeaky-clean guy he’d like them to believe.
And now, he’s running for sheriff…on a ticket for a party he’s never been a part of, which casts a pall of doubt on his campaign to begin with.
But today’s noontime Read the Lead brings even more of that doubt into play. What kind of person do YOU want for sheriff? Read this article, a front-pager on the Election Edition 2014 on stands now or available here at the e-Edition, before you answer: Candidate investigated for misuse of Christmas funds:
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Mike Mefford
LAWRENCE CO.—One of the candidates for sheriff in Lawrence County is under scrutiny for actions that could result in charges against him.
Mike Mefford, former Lawrenceville police chief who managed to get on the Republican ballot earlier this year after being a lifelong Democrat, has been the subject of an investigation ongoing since the beginning of April.
And while no charges have as yet resulted from the investigation, the range of criminal possibilities appear to be anything from a misdemeanor misappropriation of funds or theft, all the way up to felony official misconduct.
That’s because the matter involves use of funds that were part of the “Area Law Enforcement Association” (ALA)’s “Shop With a Cop” program, funds that were directly under Mefford’s sole control and which, according to documents obtained by Disclosure, were used for personal purposes until the funds came to be out of Mefford’s control, this long about the time he resigned as police chief.
The ALA is reportedly a brainchild of Mefford, and is little but a back-patting gig for the many and various law enforcement officers in Lawrence to get together and tout their virtues…
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To read the rest of the article, click the headline link above the excerpt if you have an online membership to the e-Edition; if you don’t, click this link here to get started! Or, head on out to any of our vendors in the area, including in Lawrence Jim’s Guns on Highway 250 between Lawrenceville and Bridgeport, or Bridgeport Package in the ‘port; also hit up CJ’s in Allendale in neighboring Wabash County; Marilyn’s and MotoMart in Olney in neighboring Richland; or Maxwell House in Flat Rock in neighboring Crawford. Hurry…the election is next Tuesday…BE AN INFORMED VOTER.