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Hernando Today

State attorney, sheriff probe county vehicle fleet department

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By MICHAEL D. BATES

Hernando Today

Published: November 4, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - The state attorney's office and the sheriff's department are conducting a joint investigation into the activities of the county's fleet department, a move prompted by an expose of alleged kickbacks published by Hernando Today.

Assistant State Attorney Mark Simpson said Tuesday he has only begun the probe and does not know how long it will take. The sheriff's office at first was going to take a wait-and-see attitude and hold off until a formal complaint was issued.

But Simpson said after reading the Oct. 30 Hernando Today article where ex-Fleet Manager Jack Stepongzi admitted to a reporter he was accepting what amounts to kickbacks from a Texas parts supplier, he contacted the sheriff's office and said it was time to move on the matter.

"It piqued our interest," Simpson said.

Detective Jim Boylan confirmed Tuesday the sheriff's office pulled a case number on the Stepongzi matter and has it down as an alleged criminal investigation, possibly involving fraud and theft.

And there have been other new developments:

Hernando Today has learned the county audit department, acting on concerns expressed by Department of Public Works Director Charles Mixson, was already conducting an internal investigation into Stepongzi about two months prior to his admission of accepting money on the side from a parts dealer.

"We've been investigating Jack for awhile," Mixson said. "We had some concerns and we turned it over to (County Administrator David Hamilton) and the audit department."

Mixson did not elaborate for fear of jeopardizing the investigation. But he did say that some of those concerns dealt with fraud and "misdealings."

Mixson said Stepongzi's admission of accepting money from a Texas supplier of global positioning units was unexpected.

"That was out of the blue, but it sort of follows some of our suspicions," Mixson said.

Following this latest incident, Mixson said he and Hamilton will consider hiring an outside consultant to look through past audits and do a review of the fleet department's efficiency and programs.

After both of these audits and recommendations are complete, Mixson said he would consider hiring a new fleet manager.

In the interim, Mixson said Assistant DPW Director Steve Whitaker will assist him with fleet operations.

"My concern is that fleet is running properly and we are headed in the right direction," Mixson said.

Stepongzi resigned late Friday, one day after admitting to a Hernando Today reporter he was accepting 10 percent commissions on the purchase of GPS units from Texas-based Velocity between December 2007 and July 2008.

In all, Stepongzi said he had received $332.

Just two hours after that interview, Hamilton had ordered Stepongzi escorted out of his office. His county computer was locked down, freezing all information needed for review.

With the assistance of Mixson, Commissioner Jim Adkins told Hernando Today he is conducting an independent review of the fleet department and that he hoped to have more information on operations at an upcoming commission meeting.

Adkins said he feared Stepongzi may not be the only employee in that department engaging in questionable purchasing methods.

Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.

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