By Beacon Staff
A now-retired Des Moines County Sheriff’s chief deputy made thousands of dollars in improper purchases, according to a report released Tuesday by the Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand.
The report alleges Jeff White, who retired in 2018, made more than $7,400 in purchases that were not necessary for the operation of the sheriff’s office.
White returned about $3,100 in items to the sheriff’s office. Items valued at more than $4,200 were not returned or could not be located in the sheriff’s office, the report said. Some of the items that remain unaccounted for include an Apple computer and ammunition.
KWQC reported the state auditor’s office was contacted to conduct a special investigation because of concerns regarding the items purchased by White. The auditor’s report has been forwarded to the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
“We’ve been working at this (investigation) for 18 months,” Des Moines County Sheriff Mike Johnstone said. “We made sure to do a thorough investigation. We wanted to make sure we did the right thing, to make sure the public still has confidence in the department."
Des Moines County Attorney Lisa Schaefer said she has referred the case to the attorney general’s office because of White's former employment in law enforcement, according to KWQC.
During the investigation, Sand identified improper purchases made between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2018. The purchases included items that were personal in nature or not related to the operations of the sheriff’s office. The purchases also were not approved by someone other than White and were not included in budgeted expenditures.
Of the improper purchases identified, items costing $99 and $79 were returned to the vendor and refunded. While the items returned are reasonable for use in the sheriff’s office, they weren't planned purchases and weren't approved by anyone other than White. Some of the items were not returned until after White’s last day of according to Sand’s report.
Lynn Hicks, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said a charging decision has not yet been made.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.