Cleveland County Sheriff Seeks Emergency Funds To Meet Jail Payroll

The Cleveland County sheriff is seeking emergency funding from the county's budget board, saying that more money is needed so the county jail can meet payroll obligations next month.

Sheriff Joe Lester is requesting $135,000 in emergency funds from the Cleveland County Budget Board. Lester says the county's jail was not fully funded for the current fiscal year, and that more money is needed to keep it operational.

But some board members questioned whether the financial woes were caused by overspending.

The budget board delayed voting Monday on the request and also called for a state audit of the sheriff's books. Lester says he supports the audit.