Machine Gun Mystery In Sheriff's Dept.

[Pa. Patriot]

Wag wag wag. What is this "state county code" Petrilla speaks of

Looks like case closed. This is internal, not criminal.

So, maybe now we'll start concentrating on finding that $1,000,000.00 that disappeared into some phantom private company. DeLuca? Petrilla? Anyone??

[normanvin]

So the fall out begins.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Grif...1-30-2010.html

Griffith banning deputy pay plan
The county spent $190,700 last year for delivery of legal documents.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said he’s not going to authorize any more extra pay for sheriff deputies to serve legal documents for civil court and mortgage foreclosures, so it will be up to the sheriff’s office and county officials to figure out an alternative.

Griffith had discovered Thursday that seven employees had been paid an additional $190,700 last year as compensation for using their own vehicles to serve the documents, often on county time.

He said the employees should be using county sheriff vehicles to serve the documents and be scheduled to work some evening shifts to serve documents on people who aren’t around during regular work hours so little or no overtime is incurred.

Former Sheriff Barry Stankus said that’s what he did. The office leased vehicles over four years and then owned them. Workers were assigned some evening shifts, he said.

The $190,700 came from attorneys who needed the documents served.

Stankus said the payment from attorneys covered the vehicle lease payments and fuel, with revenue left over for the county.

Mary Jean Farrell, one of the employees who received the additional money, said she would have no problem using sheriff vehicles, but she stressed that the union contract would require that deputies be paid overtime if they must serve documents beyond their scheduled hours.

Farrell received $47,461 in addition to her $34,550 salary last year to serve documents.

She estimated she logged 60,000 miles on her personal vehicle serving documents in 2009, which would have entitled her to $33,600 with the county’s 56-cent mileage reimbursement.

The deputies who receive the extra payment have also agreed to forego overtime, even though they work many evenings, she said.

The deputies received a flat payment starting at $12 for each document served, and deputies must make three attempts to serve the document, she said. If one trip is required, the deputy may come out ahead, but the flat payment may not cover gas and wear-and-tear on the vehicle if multiple trips are necessary, she said.

Farrell said the extra payment is not a perk, and she would have no problem giving up the task or using a county vehicle.

Paula Schnelly, head of the union that represents sheriff deputies, said nobody ever informed the union that some employees were paid additional money to serve the documents and use their personal vehicles.

Employees who use their personal vehicles should be tracking their mileage and receiving reimbursement using the standard formula, said Schnelly, who represents the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union.

Any opportunity to make overtime serving documents beyond regularly scheduled work hours must be offered to all deputies based on seniority, Schnelly said.

She predicts that other deputies will file grievances arguing that there was unequal treatment.

“I think our biggest concern is the fact that only certain individuals have been making this money. Whether correctly or incorrectly, this money wasn’t equally distributed to all deputies,” Schnelly said.

The union is already investigating how other opportunities for overtime are awarded in the office, she said.

County Chief/Clerk Manager Doug Pape said the administration will likely be discussing the matter with the sheriff’s office next week, particularly if it involves a request for more vehicles.


Griffith orders Tasers returned

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith said he sent acting Sheriff Charles Guarnieri a directive ordering him to return 20 Taser guns and related equipment to the company that supplied them.

Griffith said he won’t pay the $18,200 bill because county commissioners did not approve the purchase.

Witmer Public Safety Group in Coatesville, Pa., which sold the Tasers to the office, has agreed to accept the return if the equipment is still packaged and returned by Feb. 6, Griffith said.

He said he waited to issue the directive to Guarnieri because he wanted to see if commissioners would OK the purchase at Friday’s meeting, but they did not.

Griffith said he is also contacting Witmer to inform the company that he’s not paying the bill and that Guarnieri should be billed personally if the equipment is not returned.

[cadence2arms]

So the fall out begins.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Grif...1-30-2010.html


Farrell received $47,461 in addition to her $34,550 salary last year to serve documents.

Wow what a perk!

[wa3ra]

THE COUNTY paid NOTHING for the service of those papers. The attorneys who had them served did.

You can have them served by sheriff's deputies, or constables...good thing for the deputy or constable if they get the paper delivered on the first try, a break even more or less on the second, and they LOSE money on the third try.

You have to make three attempts to serve, and that is on a fixed rate.

Use Sheriff's Department vehicles? Uhhh, no. They are actually serving papers on their own time, and they are paid mileage. I had a friend in Lancaster county who put close to 100,000 miles a year on his car serving papers; he made about $30K a year to serve them, but $20K of it went for a new car every twelve months or so...of course, it was .21 a mile back then, too.

Another non-issue stirred up by someone who hasn't got a clue.

[jahwarrior72]

jeezy shit christ, no wonder the Sheriff retired; i wouldn't wanna put up with all this bullshit either.

[normanvin]

These guys just keep getting better.

http://www.timesleader.com/news/Acti...2-24-2010.html

Acting sheriff won’t accept subpoena from controller
Seeking info on dept.’s guns, Griffith will turn to coroner to serve paper on Guarnieri.

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter

Luzerne County Controller Walter Griffith attempted to serve his first subpoena Tuesday afternoon to obtain information about sheriff’s office guns, but acting Sheriff Charles Guarnieri wouldn’t take it.



Griffith

“I tried to hand it to him, and he said he was not accepting it,” Griffith said.

Griffith said he now has to ask county Coroner John Corcoran to serve the subpoena on Guarnieri because the sheriff, who would normally serve subpoenas, can’t serve himself.

Griffith said he was disappointed that Guarnieri is forcing him to involve the coroner. Guarnieri must accept the subpoena if it comes from the coroner, Griffith said.

Guarnieri could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

County controllers have authority to issue subpoenas demanding the appearance of county employees and other outside witnesses to answer questions about county finances. People who are subpoenaed may also be ordered to produce books, vouchers and “papers relative to such accounts,” according to state law. Controllers also have the power to administer oaths to all people appearing before them, the code says.

Griffith agreed to use his subpoena power to obtain information about guns because the office refused to supply the information to county Solicitor Vito DeLuca.

Griffith said he tried to be cooperative and agreed to the sheriff’s office’s request for more time to gather the requested information. But when the deadline passed Friday, Griffith said an office worker informed him that no information would be supplied.

The subpoena seeks a complete inventory of all county-owned firearms in the office along with the make, model, serial number and purchase information.

Griffith also is demanding an accounting of all firearms that were sold by the office and an inventory of firearms that are held in the office but owned by others.

In addition to furnishing the information, Guarnieri will be required to appear at the controller’s office to testify, Griffith said.

DeLuca started investigating after county officials discovered that the office sold an antique submachine gun and three other guns to Advanced Arms in Pittston for $22,500 without commissioner approval or an independent appraisal.

County records showed the office sold another 19 guns to individuals last year, mostly employees.

DeLuca said he has asked Guarnieri to furnish information about these gun sales because the county’s financial records don’t indicate the types of guns sold and whether there were any independent appraisals.

[NikeBauer21]

Do they really need to keep throwing in AA's name in the articles? It's completely irrelevant because they did nothing wrong on their part... All the media is doing is seemingly making runs at AA, leading people to believe that they are involved in the corruption.

[Steve in PA]

LOL.........wait until the next deputy tries to serve a subpoena on someone....