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Sheriff's investigation passed on to feds

Friday, April 11, 2008
By ADAM COATES, Assistant Editor

The BannerGraphic has learned that the investigation of Putnam County Sheriff Mark Frisbie has been handed over to federal authorities.

Previously, the case involving the sheriff's alleged mishandling of funds was assigned to special prosecutor Joseph Buser of Montgomery County. The Putnam County Prosecutor's office also declined to handle the case, citing a conflict of interest.

Indianapolis television news stations reported Thursday that Frisbie's case has been handed to the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office in Indianapolis.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison refused to confirm or deny whether the case had in fact been handed over to his office, despite being confronted with the fact that this case deals with a public official accused of mishandling public funds.

The case involves a State Board of Accounts audit that found about $4,000 in missing or misspent money by the sheriff, which included airfare, a tour of Washington, D.C., lunch at a Hooter's restaurant and campaign materials.

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  • why not give it to the president to view, what a waste of time and money.

    mark just do your job and let this non-sense fad away.

    -- Posted by gottokno on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, at 5:40 PM

  • I agree! What will be done, will be done! Keep up the good work PCSD!!

    -- Posted by THxGC on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, at 5:48 PM

  • This has all been blown out of proportion. Everyone is up in arms over this whole situation when they need to be asking themselves,Where is the funding for this investigation coming from? "Hello" we the taxpayers are footing this bill and I can tell you it is going to cost us a whole lot more than $4,000. Yes, he made a mistake but the money was repaid. I do not believe we need to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to realize that. Mark Frisbee is a good guy who made a bad choice. I am sure that if other offices in this county were investigated we would find there has been alot more than $4,000 in mis spending. I still stand by my vote for Sheriff Frisbee and would vote for him again. He has done alot of good while he has been in office but all some people can do is concentrate on this one issue. Maybe the investigators should go back and check the books from previous administrations and see what they find.

    -- Posted by bjwill on Thu, Apr 10, 2008, at 7:50 PM

  • Sometimes you can't pay enough to get rid of a rat.

    -- Posted by concerned19 on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 4:42 AM

  • The money was misspent and the bookkeeping was lax. Sheriff Frisbie has repaid the money. Why in the world are we pursuing this matter at the federal level? It will cost the taxpayers more than it is worth. There are a lot of people who are still angry at Frisbie because he dared to challenge Tom Helmer in the primary instead of letting Helmer run for a second term as sheriff. Write the sheriff a letter of reprimand, tell him not to do it again and get on with the business of law enforcement in Putnam County (which, by the way, has been good since Frisbie has been sheriff).

    -- Posted by not gullible on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 7:24 AM

  • Looks like there's more going on than what a lot of us know. What comes out of it comes out. Personally, I like the guy but if he's mishandling that kind of money, whether purposely or not, it's a crime and he knows it. Paying it back doesn't solve the problem....Just as mentioned before, other "criminals" weren't allowed to go on about their business after paying it back. It's not a loan. Sure the crime rate may be better with him in office but it's all one package... Whether he's doing a better job or not, he still can't be breaking laws while doing it! That's a pretty prominent position and one must take it seriously. Mishandling money like that doesn't appear to be much of a priority for him and that is sad. I'd like to believe that it was just a 'mistake' but you have to wonder.....

    -- Posted by bannerstuff on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 7:40 AM

  • All of you who think this is a waste of time

    You truely are idiots,

    wake up,

    follow your community,

    shut off the NasCar,

    spit out your Skoal.

    We want out town back!

    -- Posted by dodger1 on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 8:51 AM

  • Mark has not been charged with anything. I can't believe these comments! Mark has been a good sheriff for our county, one of the best in my opinion. I think everyone needs to chill out. He's guilty of poor book keeping...who isn't guilty of that? He paid the money back for crying out loud

    -- Posted by tenspeed1984 on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 9:39 AM

  • I think I'll have a "book-keeping" lapse in judgement at my office so I can get some wings at Hooters. They have great wings so I don't think my employers will mind.

    -- Posted by greengirl44 on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 12:27 PM

  • Last time I checked if someone breaksand get caught the law he/she is punished. If they go from state to state , i think the Feds can pick it up. Washington dc to Florida, Indiana .. that is state to state. yes he ADMITTED and paid it back.... Maybe We should let all the bank robbers out of prison if they promise to pay the stolen money back.... Putnam Co. and anyone else reading this.... He is post to uphold the laws and be an example to our children.... A Thief is a Thief no matter what he is wearing...... and a Thief should be punished if caught.

    -- Posted by Sand mann on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 2:17 PM

  • I wonder if this mishandling of funds as it is called -if he would have paid the money back if this has not been caught? Stealing is stealing and it is a crime.Folks in public office have to be accountable for their actions and set an example in their community. Yes he is a good sheriff. Last time I heard you steal or borrow money from your job it is a crime-regardless.

    -- Posted by peace2019 on Fri, Apr 11, 2008, at 5:26 PM

  • sometimes things are valued more than money. like justice. and responsibility. and accountability.

    -- Posted by diaspora on Sat, Apr 12, 2008, at 11:33 AM

  • Did you really expect anything else?!? It doesn't matter if he repaid the money! It's like if I go fill up my gas tank drive away and get caught and just say "oh yah i was going to pay it i just forgot here's the money! my bad!" It's larceny any way you look at it and he should be prosecuted. He should be sitting next to George Alexander in Federal Prison!

    -- Posted by climberguy on Mon, Apr 14, 2008, at 3:18 PM

  • bondsman, I thought it became a federal investigation when Alexander fled, did it not?

    As for others commenting for the sheriffs' sake, he only repaid the money after he got caught. bjwill and jomac, you have to agree this is a crime and won't fly with the public majority.

    -- Posted by Xgamer on Mon, Apr 14, 2008, at 10:43 PM

  • I've known Mark for several years and consider him a friend. But unfortunately, money was not managed correctly and strict accounting was not followed. Elected officials are held to higher standards just as teachers or ministers should be. He can not be given a free pass. It's sad but he seemed more interested in press coverage than being essentiality CEO of a large oranization. Did Putnam county need to send people to New Orleans? I know the cost of the trip was paid from Federal funds. It looked too much like John Wayne for me. Now that a Federal investigation is ongoing, it tells me they have reason to believe some other things will come out. No one should take joy in this. It's bad for the county and all of the people.

    -- Posted by jeepster on Mon, Apr 14, 2008, at 11:37 PM

  • Bondsman is absolutely right. Feds go on a "witchhunt" only when they're asked. And yes, it was an error in judgment, not a criminal matter. Folks need to move on...Mark did nothing wrong other than a few minor procedural errors. Good job Putnam co for throwing Sheriff Frisbie under the bus without knowing the facts. Unbeleivable! Get over it and move on PLEASE!

    -- Posted by tenspeed1984 on Sat, Apr 19, 2008, at 7:57 AM

  • "The money was misspent and the bookkeeping was lax. Sheriff Frisbie has repaid the money. Why in the world are we pursuing this matter at the federal level"

    Stealing is a crime, no matter weather you pay it back or not. If you rob a bank then decide to just give the money back...you still get canned. Its the same thing.

    -- Posted by natelien on Mon, Apr 21, 2008, at 8:42 AM

  • Does anyone really think he would have paid it back if he had not been cought?

    -- Posted by natelien on Mon, Apr 21, 2008, at 8:46 AM

  • Well he had "forgotten" to repay the airline tickets for about a year and a half. Then he tried to put the blame on Alexander for some of the other issues.

    Does anyone really believe he would have repaid any of the money had he not been caught?

    -- Posted by duallydriver on Mon, Apr 21, 2008, at 6:39 PM
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