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Sheriff Candidate Pleads Not Guilty To Campaign Finance Charge
August 4, 2012
ARCHIVED STORY — Aug. 4, 2012
A candidate for Escambia County Sheriff pleaded not guilty Friday to a campaign finance charge against him.
John Russell Powell was indicted Monday on one misdemeanor charge related to accepting cash contributions in excess of $50. State law limits cash contributions to $50 per person.
The case against Powell will not be resolved before the August 14 Republican Primary in which he will face incumbent David Morgan. He is not due back in court for trial until late September.
Powell came under scrutiny by the grand jury due to a letter from incumbent Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan to the State Attorney’s Office. Morgan said he was acting as a law enforcement officer, not as a candidate, in writing the letter.
Morgan claimed over 30 instances in which Powell accepted over 30 contributions over the $50 limit, but Powell was indicted on just one court.
Powell said the excess campaign contributions were refunded, and there was no criminal intent — just an honest mistake.
“My opponent, to take the focus off the issues, has chosen to make a criminal complaint with the State Attorney’s Office to cause embarrassment to me and my supporters even though he
admittedly accepted more than $50 in cash contributions from a number of people. I chose not to tile a criminal complaint regarding his campaign because these actions are better addressed in the civil arena not in the criminal courts,” he said in a press release hours after after his arrest on July 30.
Comments
12 Responses to “Sheriff Candidate Pleads Not Guilty To Campaign Finance Charge”
Slounds like a CHEAP shot !!!!!!!!! He still has my vote .GET THE BAD OUT
Just a few facts for the good citizens, the sheriffs office only have 1 deputy assigned to the DUI unit. The sheriff in his ultimate wisdom told that deputy that he would not form a DUI unit ( a county as big as ours and no DUI unit). I BET MADD LOVES THAT!!!!! Also there were more deputies on the street back when they were on 12 hour shifts but the sheriff will not go back to them. So be safe when you drive home.
You mean there is someone than can say 400+ “good” words about our current sherriff? *stunned
>>> Hmmm? I had a comment on here that was unspinning the smear about Morgan. Being that it seems to have vanished, I guess it is safe to assume who ever runs this website is pro-Powell and anti-1st Amendment?
Nope. It’s just safe to assume that whoever runs this website enforced the rule that’s on every page that comments are limited to 300 words or less.
(Well, actually, the website itself automatically deleted the comment due to the excessive word county. The computer software isn’t pro any candidate!)
Your 400+ word comment was well in violation of that rule.
Hmmm? I had a comment on here that was unspinning the smear about Morgan.
Being that it seems to have vanished, I guess it is safe to assume who ever runs this website is pro-Powell and anti-1st Amendment?
I came back hoping there would be some real political discourse in relation to my comments. Instead I see media trying to influence an election by denying comments of truth that would open up real political discourse.
Shame on you!
You know what I find funny is that past times when anything in relation to the sherriffs dept is printed on this site, high and mighty Morgan posts on the matter trying to prove his point. Guess he is scared to show his face on these posts because I know he is not actually “doing his job”. There is no reason for our deputies to be so scarce in the north end. I know for a fact that most of the time there are at least 3 deputies on duty up here. The problem is they all stay together. You see one, you usually see all three. So if there is a emergency call in Century and 5 minutes later one in Enon, chances are they will all 3 be in Century. No since in that. Put one in Walnut Hill area and leave him and have two in Century. But that will not work because they can’t all go eat at the pizza hutt together. It is definetly time for a change and we must start from the top!
I have to admit, morgan looks good while not doing his JOB!
It is definitely time for a change. Another shooting last night in Escambia County…It is now a nightly thing! When I got to my girlfriends last night, someone had pulled onto the side of her road and broken the 2×2’s on Powell’s 4 foot sign and had it laying on the ground. Seems some or Morgan’s supporters are worried about Powell. I don’t know who will win, but I am putting my vote on John Powell and hoping change will come!!!
What a waste of our tax dollars! Is this what we pay for? To take care of a personal agenda on taxpayer’s time! Is time for Admiral Morgan to go! Like someone already said, a shooting every day and he’s worried about his opponents contributions! Sounds like somebody is scared! Also sounds like a conflict of interest to me!
@Concerned Citizen: There has only been 1 deputy on nights/early morning for that area for years and years, it is nothing new.
Its a shame that morgan is so worried over gifts to another candidate. He did the same thing but the good ole boys in the SA office helped his slither away so he could file complaints.
Stop the bull and try doing your job sheriff.lol Shooting every day and you worry about your opponets gifts? Do your job!!!
We were heading up 29N this morning to get to work (around 4 AM) when we came across someone driving who appeared to be HIGHLY intoxicated (weaving from lane to lane and frequently running off the road). We called to report the incident and were told that there was not one single deputy available from Cantonment to Century to investigate the matter. The driver literally STOPPED in the northbound lane of Hwy 29 for some time and will most likely get away with DUI simply because law enforcement is spread so thin in the north end. This is nothing new, the shortage of deputies working this end of the county has always presented a problem but nothing ever seems to be done about it.
All I can say is that David Morgan will NOT receive my vote, and if you want to be able to drive and feel safe in the north end, then you might want to consider voting someone in who actually CARES about keeping our streets (and homes!) safe from all of the riff-raff by providing enough deputies to take care of the problems! Good luck, Mr Powell…I hope you will take care of business if elected.