From Duwayne Escobedo:
Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille says no criminal investigation of overpayments of stipends to volunteer firefighters is being conducted right now. “At this point, we have no involvement,” he says.
The Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller revealed in a July 2 internal audit of the county’s volunteer fire departments that about $52,000 in overpayments were made to volunteers between October and February. The Clerk’s Office reported it was determining the amount in incorrect payments, not whether there was criminal intent. In fact, the Clerk blames “confusing and cumbersome”stipend payment guidelines for wrongful payments, even though, volunteers helped devise the payment plan in the first place.
County officials have not indicated yet how they plan to recoup the money or any other actions they plan to take as a result of the Clerk’s findings.