Audit to look into Alabama sheriff’s office after department-owned guns were stolen, commissioners say

GENEVA, Ala. (WDHN) — The Geneva County Commission has voted to ask the state to perform an audit of the Geneva County Sheriff’s Office after several guns in possession of the department were stolen.

The unanimous vote was held by commissioners Tuesday morning after the arrest of 24-year-old Cody Johnson, who state investigators accused of stealing rifles, pistols and shotguns from the sheriff’s office. Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms said he is related to Johnson.

During the Tuesday morning commissioner meeting, it was revealed that the guns were being securely stored at a personal property at the time of the alleged thefts, and not at the sheriff’s department.

Helms told commissioners the guns were not evidence or department-issued but had been abandoned by their owners and condemned by a Geneva County judge. The sheriff’s office took custody of the guns.

Commissioner Weston Spivey asked the commission to request a state audit of the sheriff’s office and the evidence in possession of the department. The State Bureau of Investigation, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, or the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts would perform the audit.

Spivey said the commission was not aware that the guns were taken off the courthouse grounds. The SBI is investigating Johnson’s arrest.