Former Jeff Davis Co. Sheriff Sentenced to Prison

Edmund Booth, Jr., United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced that the former Sheriff of Jeff Davis County , James Laddie Boatright, 54, of Hazelhurst, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William Moore, Jr. in U.S. District Court in Waycross to 12 months and 1 day imprisonment; 3 years supervised release; $5,000 fine; $200 special assessment; restitution in the amount of $9,148 and 150 hours community service to be performed in the first 18 months following release from prison.

In September, 2008, Boatright had entered a guilty plea to wire fraud and bank fraud.

Booth stated that the evidence during the guilty plea and sentencing hearings showed that as Sheriff, Boatright used funds from the Sheriff’s Office D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) account totaling $1,182.00 toward the purchase of a wide screen TV costing $2,182.78 for his personal use. The evidence further showed that Boatright converted a truck, which had been forfeited to the State of Georgia through a prior court proceeding, to his personal use and then pledged the truck as collateral for a loan, which he co-signed, in the amount of $16,518.00.

Booth said that the Federal Bureau of Prisons will designate the facility in which Boatright will serve his sentence. Booth further commented “there is no parole in the federal system.”