Sheriff indicted

Updated 11:20 a.m.

Brunswick County Sheriff Ronald Hewett has been indicted by a Brunswick County grand jury.

Monday morning Hewett, who has been temporarily suspended from his job until a hearing later today, was indicted on three counts of embezzlement by a public official and one count of obstructing justice.

One count of embezzlement accuses Hewett of misusing $819 of Brunswick County taxpayer funds to pay salaries of Brunswick County sheriff officers to paint campaign signs while they were on duty.

The second embezzlement count alleges he misused $330.61 to pay deputy Jim Barr to guard Hewett's personal driveway while it was being paved by Palmetto Paving Company.

The third count indicates that between August and October 2005, Hewett misused $292.76 to pay the salaries of two Brunswick County Sheriff deputies to cut down 52 trees on Hewett's property.

The obstruction of justice charge alleges Hewett instructed detective Laurie Smith to not charge Margaret Hewett for intimidating a state witness saying Margaret Hewett was distant kin to the sheriff and doing so would hurt him politically.

Hewett has turned himself in to authorities at the Brunswick County courthouse around 11:20 a.m.

Keep reading The Brunswick Beacon to find out more.