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Scott County sheriff addresses drone program, missing funds
BENTON, Mo. — Circulating social media posts regarding the Scott County Sheriff’s Department’s drone prompted the sheriff on Friday to address the program and the previous administration’s possible mishandling of donated funds.
“In the past two weeks several officers and myself have been approached about the Drone Program, ZJ1 that was established as a memorial for Zack Johnston,” Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury said in a news release on Friday. “Jimmy Johnston, Zack’s father, reported to these officers and myself that $30,000 dollars was raised and donated for this project.”
Around 4 p.m. Jan. 19, 2016, 23-year-old Zack Johnston went hunting in rural area north of Scott City and was reported missing the next day after family and friends hadn’t heard from him. Johnston’s body was later found in the water. Officials believed he was walking on thin ice when it broke; he fell through and died of hypothermia.
According to Jimmy Johnston, $30,000 had been donated to the former sheriff’s administration for the purchase of the drone, trailer and generators, Drury said, noting he officially took office on Jan. 1, 2017.
Drury said he realized this is an election year and the reason he pointed that out is because the drone program was put in place under the administration of former sheriff Rick Walter, who is also running for Scott County Sheriff in the Aug. 4 Primary Election.
“When the new administration arrived to the sheriff’s office, it was identified that the office computers of former sheriff Rick Walter and the secretary were not in the office they shared and could not be located,” Drury said. “Two brand new computers were placed on each desk without being set up or programmed. All programs and information from the previous administration were not accessible. We also had a captain’s computer that had been wiped clean including some 911 files.”
After the Scott County Sheriff’s Office invested several thousand dollars to address the computer issues, Drury said his office learned of the “Drone Program.”
“We have yet to find any electronic or hardcopies of the financial records regarding the ‘Drone Program,’ but we are still searching. What we do know is that the sheriff’s office has paid $1,700 per year for liability insurance since 2017 and a balance of $5,995 was still owed for the drone’s trailer upon my taking office.
He continued: “The former sheriff left the drone account with approximately $2,000 remaining. So, our office paid the remaining balance out of respect for the Johnston family. It wasn’t until my conversation with Mr. Johnston that I fully understood that the sum donated to the former sheriff’s administration totaled approximately $30,000.”
Thus, Drury said, there is approximately $6,000 of expenditures that should have been available for the project but was not in the drone fund.
“At this time, I cannot confirm nor deny an ongoing investigation into the previous administration’s possible mishandling of donated funds and how these funds were spent,” Drury said. “This is what I can say: Our office has sent the drone to the group Drone Nerds to be fixed, updated or possible replaced based upon their recommendations.”
Scott County is currently working with Cape Girardeau County, Stoddard County and New Madrid County Sheriff Office’s in forming a regional sheriff’s drone team to continue the legacy of Zach Johnston, Drury said. However, with the impact of COVID-19 on not only Scott County, but the entire nation, it has been difficult to address the issues for repairing or replacing the drone, Drury said.
“My main concern is to get this drone program up and running as soon as possible and to find out how nearly $6,000 appears to be missing under the previous administration and why computers were wiped cleaned and taken from the Scott County Sheriffs Office,” Drury said in the news release.“From the very start, my administration has been transparent about our expenditures and budget.”
Drury said he has copies of two checks from the county treasurer that shows the insurance premium paid in full for the drone and the payment made to Wilhelm Construction for the drone trailer.
“My goal as sheriff is to honor the Johnston family by expanding the program into three counties to use in every situation possible,” Drury said in the news release. “That program is being developed in Zack Johnston’s memory. It is also my duty to find any and all mismanaged money from the original donations so that justice can be served.”