Alabama sheriff kept $750K in funds meant to feed inmates: report

An Alabama sheriff has been keeping excess government funding meant to feed inmates at his county jail for his own personal use, AL.com reported.

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin has received $750,000 over the past three years, which he reported on ethics disclosure forms as being from “Food Provisions.”

The sheriff did not deny to AL.com that he had received the funds, and told the publication last month that he has a personal account that he calls his “Food Provisions” fund.

AL.com also reported that it had reviewed photos of checks printed with “Sheriff Todd Entrekin Food Provision Account” in the upper-left corner.

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Sheriffs have stated that Alabama state law allows them to keep “excess” funds allocated for feeding inmates. 

However, many Alabama counties give the excess funds to the county government, not the sheriff.

AL.com reported that Entrekin and his wife had also purchased a $740,000 home with an in-ground pool in an upscale neighborhood in the county and that he had gotten a $592,000 mortgage to finance the purchase.

Entrekin’s annual salary is $93,178.80, according to the publication.

“In regards to feeding of inmates, we utilize a registered dietitian to ensure adequate meals are provided daily,” Entrekin wrote in an email to the publication.

“As you should be aware, Alabama law is clear as to my personal financial responsibilities in the feeding of inmates. Regardless of one’s opinion of this statute, until the legislature acts otherwise, the Sheriff must follow the current law,” he said.