Sheriff Pat Kelly (courtesy athensnews.com)

“The ‘good ol’ boy’ practice of purchasing personal ammunition through a law enforcement discount is nothing new in America,” athennews.com opines. An opinion mooted by now-suspended Sheriff Pat Kelly, currently awaiting trial on multiple felony indictments. Repeating Kelly’s defense at the top of the article without attribution is an extremely odd way to start an expose of illegal ammo sales in Athens Couty, OH. Everyone does it so it’s OK? I don’t think so. The local po-po bought 90k discounted and tax-free rounds (that we know about) for $22,592. Customers included . . .

current and former sheriff’s deputies, reserve deputies, law-enforcement officials from outside agencies, and several individuals with no apparent current connection to area law enforcement. Oh, and the police department didn’t even pay for all the ammo it purchased.

Kelly said Wednesday that his office had been notified that those piggybacking on the sheriff’s office ammo order would have to pay taxes.

“Dawn Deputy, my fiscal officer, began preparing paperwork to notify (them) they would have to pay taxes on their ammunition,” he said.

Receipts obtained via public records show that the individuals did pay the Sheriff’s Office for the ammunition they received, though several individuals did not receive the ammunition, and everybody who paid received a non-taxed, discounted rate.

In one case, receipt shows a $1,200.80 payment from Westerville attorney Matthew B. Baker, who once represented Kelly in lawsuit filed by a deputy. Baker’s check shows he paid out of his attorney’s trust fund. That money is typically funded by clients and reserved specifically for work in service of said clients.

Baker wrote Athens County earlier this summer demanding remuneration seeing as his ammo was never received. Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn advised the Athens County Commissioners to pay Baker, though the only official with authority to write such a check is Auditor Thompson, who declined to do so considering the circumstances surrounding the ammunition. Thompson said recently that she has not heard back from Baker.

Another receipt shows that Sheriff’s Office Fiscal Officer Dawn Deputy, who purchased $107 worth of ammunition, wrote and signed her own payment receipt. Asked about this Monday, Sheriff Smith called it “bad business” and said that current office policy will not allow such a thing. He noted that Deputy, who handles payroll for the office, must seek other administrative signatures for her own payroll checks now.

Others were approached with the possibility of ordering ammunition, but later declined to participate, suspecting impropriety. [ED: yeah right] County Commissioner Charlie Adkins, for instance, was slated to purchase some .38 caliber and .45 caliber rounds.

You’d think that just getting ammo during the great ammo drought would have been enough for these “good old boys.” In fact, one wonders if the quote kicking off this article is correct. Just how many police departments have been channeling ammo to friends and family?

Equally, how much ammo tax has been illegally dodged? Is it fair that people connected to the cops can deny the feds the 11% ammo tax due under the Pittman–Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, ring-fenced for any given state’s fish and game department? It is not.

Once again, the “only ones” get special treatment, proving that absolute power corrupts absolutely. In case you didn’t know.

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38 COMMENTS

  1. Don’t stiff the lawyer… always the first to squeal.

    Also: “Sheriff’s Office Fiscal Officer Dawn Deputy”

    Wonder if that’s on her nameplate.

  4. I say that we get rid of the ammo tax and tax on guns for “wildlife preservation”. It’s no secret that most gun owners today aren’t hunters, so they should not be forced to subsidize hunters. Ditch the taxes and increase fees for hunting licenses.

    • LOL, that’s a good way to find yourself looking down from over someone’s fireplace mantle. Don’t loose your head over this issue. But I agree with you. Applicable taxes only. Paid by those who benefit.

    • The Pittman Robertson Act took a pre-existing federal tax that went straight to the Treasury and redirected it into state parks. Wildlife habitat are what most people are enjoying when they go to those parks.

      • OK then, look at attendance of state parks….

        Again, you’re punishing people for something that they don’t use.

        • That’s right, it’s just fly over country. It’s so unfair that something you like is taxed. By the way, reload your ammunition and build your firearms from parts and there’s no excise tax.

    • Publius, you are confused. “Wildlife preservation” pertains to parties for congressional staffers, particularly underage and overendowed. Has nothing to do with hunting anything other than honeys.

    • Nearly every large state park here in my home state has a shooting range, most of which are free, otherwise a token amount, to use and all are decently maintained. Maybe your state is just doing it wrong?

      ETA: This is east of the Mississippi. You guys out west with vast stretches of BLM land … I hate you.

    • How about this for some commonsense …

      If any round of ammunition is not certified for use to hunt with in the state, then no fish&game tax shall be payable for that ammunition.

      Put simply – if they won’t allow you to legally hunt with it, then they can’t charge a tax on it.

  5. RF: I’m getting a slight inkling that you enjoy poking our gallant, trustworthy, heroic, unselfish, honorable, no overtime, POLITE, RESPECTFUL civil servants.

    These guys with their general stars and colonel insignia look exactly what they are. . . . . jerks.

    Keep it up!

    Have I mentioned the police will kill you?

  6. Shady ammo dealings. The real question is how often did they actually shoot? If the practice encouraged the officers to shoot more it may be better for local residents. I wonder if the Deputy’s qualification scores are higher than the National average? /sarc

  8. Hey, how about… uhh… no big deal? Lol

    Most liberals cry foul when someone or several people find a way of coming into things that they can’t themselves. They do this in the same manner that people who make 20K-30K do when they complain about “the upper crust” paying less taxes, et cetera.

    Reminds me of the people who bitch about the folks at the country club getting all of the good contacts and helping other people get legs up in good job positions, and the like.

    I DO, however, object to the agency making money off the ammo IF (only if) the agency themselves didn’t pay for it. That would most definitely be “shady”. I wasn’t clear if that occurred or not.

    Otherwise, is it that big of a deal?

    I’m a tad bit jealous my damned self. But otherwise, good for them. Hell.

    • Otherwise, is it that big of a deal?

      Favoritism. It isn’t available for just anyone so it can become a means of “you scratch my back…” I’ve lived there and there was plenty of corruption to go around. Besides, it’s probably illegal if not in violation of tax code. The purpose was so that one government office wasn’t spending money on taxes that another government office would just have to collect again. It was intended to be a cost saving measure in government.

  9. Yeah I don’t care either Missouri Josh. Charges from a government that prints 1trillion bucks a year(?) in worthless federal reserve notes? Whatever…

  10. And my plumber gets contractor prices on materials and fixes pipes for his friends and families while I have to pay full price and for labor. And mechanic does the same. And my electician. And my general contractor. Oh the outrage.

  11. The manufacturer of ammunition and firearms pays the 11% tax, not the end purchaser. That cost is added to the wholesale and retail price of the item. By the time you or I buy it, the 11% has been paid.
    They probably got a State Sales Tax exemption.

  12. Ah yes, Athens, Ohio – a charming leftist, progressive town, home to charming, progressive Ohio University (not Ohio State U), where their mission statement enthuses that “Ohio University strives to be the best student-centered, transformative learning community in America, where more than 37,000 students realize their promise, faculty advance knowledge, staff achieve excellence, and alumni become global leaders. OHIO is committed to fostering, embracing, and celebrating diversity in all its forms. … Strong undergraduate programs with a liberal arts core are a vital and necessary foundation.”

    I am sure the Sheriff’s Department shares these values of sharing and caring and diversity, and just wanted to share the police discount with many people!

    • +1

      OU is also home to a medical school. Thankfully, OUCOM didn’t seem to be as infected with progressive retardation as the general campus. Hell of a bar scene though… The Court Street Crawl. 😀

  13. Sounds like the county (sheriff) ordered the ammo, sold it to friends and the money collected went to the sheriff’s pocket. Sounds like obama and holder taught the sheriff how to make a little money on the side.

  15. I had a Sheriff Deputy sell me around 3,000 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 9mm HP in the middle of the great ammo panic.

    The second time I met him he straight up admitted too me it was Maricopa County Sheriff Department ammo. hahaha

    Gave me smoking deal too. 320 per 1k.

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