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Highlands Today

Weekend Work Release Program Back

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: October 15, 2008

SEBRING - The weekend work release program is now up and running fully again, following a Friday meeting between the sheriff's office, the clerk of court's office and Highlands County Court Judge Anthony Ritenour.

"It was a good meeting with the judge," said sheriff's detention Maj. David Paeplow.

New inmates can again have access to the program if they meet certain criteria. Participants pay a $5 fee when they show up for a work assignment and are required to sign a sign-in sheet for each day of work.

The program came under fire from Ritenour after it was discovered detention deputy Levon Stukes was not following proper procedures.
Stukes was accepting a lump-sum payment in a money order for several days of work and was not getting the sheets signed.

"The integrity of the weekend work release program has been severely compromised," Ritenour stated in an Oct. 1 letter to the Highlands County Sheriff's Office.

Paeplow previously said efforts were made to remedy the problems within the work release program.

Ritenour said in a letter dated Oct. 2 that he had been advised by Sheriff Susan Benton that a plan was put into effect to correct the issues prior to her receipt of his Oct. 1 letter saying he would not sentence anyone else to the work program.

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