LAKEPORT ? With thousands of public dollars spent on pilot training for a Lake County Sheriff”s Office sergeant rather than for approved marijuana reconnaissance, the Lake County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to send a letter informing the California Attorney General of misappropriation of public funds.
“At the minimum we need to recover the cost,” Supervisor Denise Rushing said. “Because this is a gift of public money unless somebody can tell me he had authorization.”
A county administrative audit of Sgt. Dave Garzoli”s pilot log found 13 entries totaling 21 hours at a cost of $8,500 that do not list marijuana reconnaissance or law enforcement in the remarks section from September 1995 to November 2008, according to Matt Perry, chief deputy administrative officer who prepared the report.
The Drug Enforcement Administration grant money used for Garzoli”s helicopter use did not allow for pilot training and certification before 2009 ? only marijuana reconnaissance and eradication.
The Board of Supervisors also unanimously voted to send similar letters to the DEA and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Perry thinks an independent agency would have to investigate further to find whether $49,105 of helicopter use was used purely for pilot training, he said. The audit found that Garzoli used $41,293 for marijuana reconnaissance out of 219 total hours at a cost of $98,898 before 2009.
Rushing said she wants to know if Garzoli needs to return public money and how much, how to make sure misappropriation doesn”t happen again and if Garzoli believed his flight training was authorized.
“We have an issue of public trust,” Rushing said.
Newly appointed Chairman Anthony Farrington said he agrees with Rushing.
“Even if we don”t know the answers to questions of whether the training was authorized and whether Sgt. Garzoli knew about it or not, the result is the same ? there”s a misappropriation of public monies,” Farrington said.
Supervisor Rob Brown said that the DEA grant “function was not accomplished” and that he wants the money to be used for eradication of marijuana gardens, not flight training.
After the meeting, Sheriff Rod Mitchell said he wasn”t aware of Garzoli going on solo, night or out-of-county flights.
“My ignorance is my responsibility,” Mitchell said. “My ignorance about flight helicopter training did not prompt me to ask what is ?logging flight time.” I didn”t have a basis.”
“I was aware that Sgt. Garzoli was ?logging flight time.” I didn”t know to what extent he was operating the helicopter and when and where,” Mitchell said. “And the board is aware that Sgt. Garzoli has accepted responsibility for this.”
Mitchell thinks Attorney General investigators have more independence and expertise with flight regulations and they should do the investigation, he said.
“It would be a cleaner circumstance for all concerned if an agency as independent as the Attorney General would give the matter a review,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he thinks Perry did a good and fair job preparing the report.
Contact Katy Sweeny at ksweeny@record-bee.com or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
