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Feds Order Georgia Sheriff Return $69,000 Used To Buy Dodge Charger Hellcat

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding that the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office return the $69,258 they spent to buy a 707 hp Dodge Charger Hellcat for Sheriff Butch Conway. The money was given to the Sheriff’s Office as part of a federal program that distributes money seized from drug busts to local law enforcement agencies across the country.

The DOJ had two issues with the purchase of the muscle car. The first issue was the application for the money stated the car would be used for "undercover/covert operations," and not as the official vehicle for Conway. The agency also explained that it considers the expensive car, which comes equipped with a  6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine and can reach a top speed of 204 mph, an "extravagant expenditure," which is not allowed as part of the program.

The Sheriff's Office defended the purchase in a statement issued to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“Sheriff Conway maintains that this vehicle is an appropriate purchase, especially for an agency with a $92 million budget and the opportunity this vehicle provides in making our roadways safer,” Deputy Shannon Volkodav, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman, said in a written statement.

Despite Conway's defense of the expensive car, his office will reimburse the federal government for the cost of Hellcat.

"Staff is working with the Sheriff’s Office to respond to the Department of Justice regarding the vehicle purchase. We are committed to resolving the matter quickly and will be adding review points in our process for equipment purchased with asset forfeiture funds to make sure we comply with guidelines set forth by the Department of Justice," Gwinnett County Administrator Glenn Stephens told Fox 5.

According to Fox News, the car was recently used as part of a “Beat the Heat” community outreach program, where members of the public could drag race police officers and learn about the dangers of street racing. 


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