St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Director Raye Brutnell, 47, was arrested Tuesday and faces multiple charges of fraud and theft.
She was immediately fired, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Brutnell had been the Director of Finance since January 2013 and had been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1991.
The Sheriff’s Office didn’t detail the crimes Brutnell is accused of committing, citing an active investigation that is still underway.
Financial crimes investigators from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were called in to conduct an independent criminal investigation after concerns were raised about Brutnell on November 14.
According to the St. County's County Sheriff's Office website, Brutnell handled accounting for the department, overseeing:
- Budget
- General Ledger Accounting
- Payroll
- Accounts Payable
- Inventory
- Internal Controls
- Grants
- Purchasing
St. Johns County Sheriff David Shoar said he was grateful that two members of his agency had the moral courage to report their concerns about Brutnell.
“We were able to take immediate and corrective action. We feel confident that at the conclusion of this case any monies taken inappropriately will be recovered,” said Shoar.
Brutnell turned herself in with her attorney, Hank Coxe, at the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office jail.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
