Local News
Former deputy gets probation after stealing $91,000
A judge granted a former Cullman County Sheriff’s deputy five years probation Thursday for stealing more than $91,000 in confiscated funds.
Mark Wayne Maddox, 39, of Baileyton was convicted in May of theft of property in the first degree in a Cullman County Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement. Circuit Court Judge Frank Brunner gave Maddox a 46-month suspended prison sentence on the condition he pay a total of $91,315.75 to the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office — $38,000 of which had to be paid on the day of the plea agreement. Maddox also had to pay a certain amount of money back by his Thursday probation hearing or else he would have been sent to prison.
Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden said Maddox paid around $12,000 in July.
“He has to pay the rest in monthly installments,” Roden said. “If he fails to do so, I hope we’ll be able to petition that his probation be revoked.”
In addition to returning the money, Maddox agreed during his sentencing to surrender his Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training (APOST) license and to never seek a law enforcement position within Alabama.
Roden declined to comment on if he thought parole was an appropriate punishment for Maddox.
“There isn’t anything about the situation you can feel good about,” Roden said. “It was just a difficult problem that had to be dealt with. I think we handled it well.”
Maddox’s arrest in October 2008 stemmed from an investigation into his activities between 2006 and 2008 as the sheriff office’s evidence custodian. Maddox was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 26 and fired at the time of his arrest.
Due to Maddox’s position and dealings with the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office, District Attorney Wilson Blaylock had his department removed from the case. Instead, Attorney General Troy King appointed St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor to prosecute.
Minor could not be reached for comment by The Times’ deadline.
When Maddox was still an evidence custodian, seized money was held by the sheriff’s office until the courts decided if it should be returned to the owners or to local law enforcement. Once confiscated money was designated for law enforcement use, it was then turned over to the circuit clerk for proper dispersal.
Since that time, procedures at the sheriff’s office have been changed and confiscated monies are now immediately deposited into a bank account.
‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.
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