Butler sheriff cleared of wrongdoing following work stoppage

MORGANTOWN, Ky. (AP) – The Butler County sheriff has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing related to work stoppage in his office.

The Daily News (http://bit.ly/1WOk0Br ) reports that Hardin County Attorney Jennifer Oldham said that Butler County Sheriff Scottie Ward did not commit official misconduct by shutting down his office after he was unable to pay his road deputies.

The matter began after the Butler County Fiscal Court tabled discussions on Ward’s budget on Dec. 14. Without a budget in place, Ward couldn’t pay deputies after Dec. 20. Deputies stopped working the next day because they weren’t guaranteed a paycheck.

The fiscal court voted 4-1 to allot $192,630 to Ward for his 2016 budget on Dec. 22 and deputies returned to work that night.

Ward says Oldham’s findings prove he did nothing wrong.

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.