A total of $29,089 in seized drug funds has been donated to two local schools.
On Friday, Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton presented a check in the amount of $21,354.23 to Sampson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Bracy. On Monday, Sheriff Thornton presented a check to Clinton City Schools Superintendent Dr. Stuart Bount in the amount of $7,734.77.
The funds were originally seized as evidence in multiple drug cases. Upon conviction of the suspects and exhausting all their possible court appeals, the cash became eligible to turn over to the local school boards.
“When I originally ran for office and every election since then, I have run on the platform of fighting drug activity,” Sheriff Thornton said. “Children are the ones who ultimately suffer in the drug trade. Hopefully this ‘ill gotten’ fruit of crime can be of benefit to the children in our school systems, after all they are our greatest resource. I hope to continue to be able to turn over seized cash down the road, as cases are tried and appeals are exhausted.”
