911 Board Says Not Involved in Heath/Monnet Conflict

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Published on December 12 2013 9:57 am
Written by Greg Sapp

Effingham County 911 Board Chairman Nick Althoff Thursday issued a statement that the 911 Board is not pursuing the resignation of Effingham County Sheriff John Monnet over the implementation of countywide communication systems.

Althoff's statement is as follows: "The Effingham County 911 Board is not pursuing the resignation of Sheriff John Monnet over the radio situation.  These accusations are being made by one board member, not the Board as a whole.  This is not an issue the Board has addressed or intends to address in the future.  The 911 Board is not in the business of choosing radio systems for the departments, not did it handle any of the grant money secured for the radio systems.  Any questions regarding this situation should be directed to Ted Heath at 217-821-9418."

Heath is asserting that Monnet used grant funds sought for development of a Starcom 21 communication system instead for development of a high-band system that has never been completed.  Heath has said Monnet exhibited "deception" and "incompetence" and has called for the sheriff's resignation.