Richmond Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. has raised more than a few eyebrows, after news surfaced that he has hired family members to work for him. A practice many call “unfair nepotism”.
But Sheriff Woody is not alone in his hiring of relatives, other sheriffs around the state have gotten into “hot water” for doing the same thing.
Woody currently employs at least 4 family members — two sisters, a son and a brother-in-law — who are, reportedly, paid a total of $220,000 in annual salaries.
Like all sheriffs, he is an elected constitutional officer who answers to voters, so he is not required to follow the city’s nepotism policy. And the state doesn’t have a policy regarding the hiring of family members.
Statewide law enforcement groups defend the practice of hiring family members, saying relatives of officers and deputies tend to be successful because they grew up in families where police work was normal.
Even so, there are recent examples of other sheriff’s offices around the state being investigated for situations involving family members who worked for those departments.
In Madison County, Sheriff Erik Weaver was investigated for keeping his wife, Terri, in her longtime position as the Sheriff’s Office administrator after he took office. At the time, the state’s conflict of interest code prohibited a constitutional officer from hiring a spouse or family member who resides in the same household as a subordinate if that family member was paid more than $22,000 a year. That amount is now $35,000.
Last year, a special prosecutor cleared Sheriff Weaver of criminal wrongdoing.
In Isle of Wight County, a state police investigation of Sheriff Charlie Phelps has resulted in the arrest of his son and an extended family member.
Phelps’ son, Capt. Paul Phelps, was charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, and Jonathan Burns, who is related to the younger Phelps by marriage, is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Paul Phelps apparently hired Burns, a convicted felon, and armed him with a department-issued stun gun, took him on criminal investigations, and allowed him to participate in arrests. Sheriff Phelps has not been charged.
Also, in Roanoke, Sheriff Octavia Johnson was criticized by some in the community for hiring her sister, Patricia Johnson, as the office’s public information officer in 2006. Patricia Johnson is an award-winning poet who once won the National Poetry Slam Individual Competition in Portland, and authored a book of poetry called “Stain My Days Blue.”
During his 2005 campaign for the office, Woody criticized his predecessor, Michelle B. Mitchell, for employing relatives during her 12-year term. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper, Mitchell now works as a secretary for Henrico County Sheriff Michael L. Wade.
Times-Dispatch reports: Richmond Sheriff Woody, who earns $138,871 a year, declined through a spokesman to answer questions about hiring family members. However, several family members have been hired by the Richmond Sheriff’s Office since he was elected in 2005.
According to city records, his sister Patty Nicholas works in the human resources division of the Richmond Sheriff’s Office for a salary of $50,761. Another sister, Pamela Eaton, is paid $57,494 to serve as Woody’s executive assistant.
Eaton’s husband, Dwight Eaton, works as a lieutenant in information technology and is paid $41,626. And Woody’s son, Clarence Woody III, is a lieutenant colonel who is paid $70,629.
Woody has not been accused of any wrongdoing or improprieties, but critics claim it is not a good practice.
