Doug Mouton / Eyewitness News
Franklinton, La. -- The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office is laying off 11 employees, and cutting a total of 16 positions in an effort to clear debt before an administration change.
The cuts will come from across the department, and will help pay back a loan Sheriff Bobby Crowe secured in his first year in office, back in July of 2008. At that time, Sheriff Crowe said the money was necessary to run the department for the remainder of the year, because the previous administration had left the bank account empty.
According to department leaders, that loan would have been paid off in two years without the need for layoffs if Sheriff Crowe had won re-election. Current Washington Parish Assessor Randy "Country" Seal defeated Bobby Crowe in a November runoff. By law, Sheriff Crowe cannot leave that debt unpaid when he leaves office, so it must be paid off before Randy Seal takes over in July of 2012.
Paying off the loan immediately, department leaders said, forced the 11 layoffs now, and they said, more could be coming. Five positions will be eliminated through attrition.
