US Sheriff Dept Forced To Repay $70,000 After Buying A 707bhp Hellcat

After it emerged that a sheriff's office in Georgia had spent redistributed drug money on a Dodge Charger Hellcat, the Department of Justice wasn't too pleased...
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An American police sheriff is feeling the heat himself after it emerged his office had reportedly used seized drug money to buy the team a Dodge Charger Hellcat… which he then used as his daily.

We have to admit we laughed quite a bit, but back to the facts. Sheriff Butch Conway (a superb name for a law enforcement agent) of Gwinnett County authorised a $69,258 payment for the Hellcat in April, with the money coming from ‘forfeiture funds,’ or seized assets. That can range from TVs to homes (all of which is sold), or even straightforward cash. This money, though, came from drugs.

US Sheriff Dept Forced To Repay $70,000 After Buying A 707bhp Hellcat

While the purchase was apparently approved by the Department of Justice (DoJ) at the time, officials weren’t informed that it was the tasty 707bhp version of the popular four-door American icon. They’ve since re-branded the purchase as “excessive” and demanded the Sheriff’s office repays the money.

Sheriff Conway initially did his best to justify the purchase of the all-black car, which he had apparently been using to drive to and from work as well as taking it to ‘Beat the Heat’ events where the police can work with young drivers to educate them about the risks of driving drunk or distracted.

Image: Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Image: Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office via The Atlanta Journal…

Responding to the DoJ’s assertion that legislation is there to prohibit the use of seized funds to make extravagant purchases, Sheriff Conway’s office provided a written statement to local media that said:

“Sheriff Conway maintains that this vehicle is an appropriate purchase, especially for an agency with a $92 million budget and the opportunity this vehicle provides in making our roadways safer.

Local news outlet the Atlanta Journal-Constitution added:

“The sheriff’s Hellcat application touted the high-powered vehicle’s potential use in Gwinnett County’s Beat the Heat program, a non-profit that uses drag races in controlled environments to “educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving and illegal street racing”.”

Still, the money will be repaid as per the DoJ’s request. As for the Hellcat… well, we can only assume Sheriff Conway, who has been in office since 1996, will be protecting and serving from behind its hilarious supercharged V8 for a long time to come.

Source: Jalopnik

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Comments

Anonymous

Take the car and use it as a cop car lmao

07/20/2018 - 12:06 |
32 | 2
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The only problem with that is as soon as a chase ends up on a twisty road it’s game over for the cop

07/20/2018 - 13:37 |
12 | 14
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

With a name like Butch Conway, you can get whatever the heck you want

07/20/2018 - 12:07 |
306 | 0

Imagine some drug dealers smuggling drugs WHEN SUDDENLY BUTCH CONWAY AND HIS HELLCAT APPEAR

07/20/2018 - 12:43 |
228 | 0

his dad probably Butchered that name

07/20/2018 - 23:50 |
6 | 4
Twopoint0

‘Butch and the Hellcat’, please make this a Movie

07/20/2018 - 13:01 |
78 | 0
mayky

This is gold

07/20/2018 - 13:04 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

EVERYONE GO GET A SUPRA NOW

07/20/2018 - 13:45 |
2 | 20
TheBigLoser

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I guess you want police chases to end quickly

07/20/2018 - 16:45 |
6 | 0
RentalTheAsscheekHole

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

This is by far the most cool and epicest comment I’ve ever seen you deserve more downvotes 😁😁

07/20/2018 - 17:58 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Should’ve gotten the entry-level Challenger

07/20/2018 - 14:26 |
48 | 0
Anonymous

Ha ha ha ha haHa ha ha ha haHa ha ha ha haHa ha ha ha haHa ha ha ha haHa ha ha ha ha…Murica

07/20/2018 - 14:41 |
6 | 6
My Name is Joel

Civil forfiture is actully a real problem here in America that needs to be reassesed. Funds from civil forfiture have been used for anything from margarita makers to armored vehicles that are simply overkill. The truth is that a crime doesn’t need to be committed for civil forfiture to take place. Police can seize property, valuables, and cash just on suspicion. For exampe there was a man moving from Michigan to California with about 2 grand in cash to start his new life when he was stopped by police and the money was seized on the suspension that he was going to California to buy drugs. In civil forfiture, it is not the individual that is in trial, it is the property itself and it is up to the individual to prove its innocence rather than the authorities to prove that it was used in a crime. It is a broken system that needs to be reassesed especially when you see departments spening this money on unnecessary items such as a dodge hellcat.

07/20/2018 - 15:45 |
20 | 4

this is something to think about. While I don’t give a sh!t about the drug dealers, but it is a loop hole that let the authority seize innocent asset for no good reason.

07/20/2018 - 16:46 |
2 | 2

Seeing that sheriff is an elected office. The voters of that county can do what they see fit. Im glad you brought up the civil forfiture example. That actually happens alot im afraid

08/04/2018 - 06:11 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

They don’t realize they are saving money. Just think about it, there is no need for a police siren, that engine can reved in Texas and heard in Miami

07/20/2018 - 16:34 |
24 | 0
Zonda Man (Full Send Squad)

Here cops drive tesla model X’s

07/20/2018 - 17:41 |
2 | 2
07/20/2018 - 17:45 |
2 | 2