Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 11, 1993 TAG: 9311110067
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: KAREN BARNES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Medium
At Tuesday night's Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Tony Ware asked Commonwealth's Attorney James Updike to examine an auditor's report on the Sheriff's Department to determine if Wells might have broken the law. But Wednesday, Updike removed himself from the investigation, citing his long relationship with Wells.
Instead, the county's Circuit Court will name a special investigator.
The investigation stems from Wells' use of an interest-bearing personal checking account to handle the department's $100,000-a-month payroll.
The county is partially reimbursed for deputies' salaries by the state Compensation Board, which transfers money to the main county bank account each month. Until April, Bedford County handed a check to Wells, which was deposited in Wells' personal account, to which only he has access - unlike all but one of the state's 94 other counties, which funnel all payroll checks through the treasurer or county administrator's office.
The yet-to-be named special prosecutor and a three-member committee created by the supervisors after hearing the auditor's report Tuesday night will seeking the answers to two questions:
Does the interest earned from Wells' account - rumored to be almost $30,000 - belong to the county or to Wells?
Did Wells mix any personal money in with the state money in the account?
The board unanimously agreed to have County Administrator William Rolfe's office take over the Sheriff's Department payroll Jan. 1, following the advice of Wally Cox, county auditor. Updike's office payroll will be handled the same way.
Wells, a Democrat, has headed the Sheriff's Department for 19 years.
Wells played a large role in Updike's run for state attorney general last year, which was unsuccessful.
Neither Wells nor Updike was available for comment Wednesday night.
by CNB