Clayton Co. Sheriff Victor Hill named in lawsuit for alleged improper spending, odd wall art

The Clayton Daily News reports a Clayton County Sheriff’s Department employee has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Sheriff Victor Hill and the state. The plaintiff, Pamela Blasingim, alleges Hill lavishly spent vending machine and forfeited drug funds on various items, including office artwork that sounds so wild it’ll blow your mind. Click here to read the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Pamela Blasingim, the plaintiff, alleges Hill demoted her because she had a disagreement with a friend of Hill’s who cut inmates’ hair and because she was white. Blasingim says in the lawsuit Hill wanted an all-black department.

Here are some choice snippets from the Clayton Daily News’ report on the lawsuit:

The lawsuit also outlines allegations of egregious misuses of money in the sheriff’s office. According to the accountant, three days into Hill’s term, he called her into his office and asked about expense accounts and discretionary funds. Blasingim expected to be asked to brief the newly elected sheriff about purchasing policies, but Hill, she said, seemed to only be interested in finding out where there was money he could use as he saw fit.

Blasingim reportedly said “the only thing even close” to a discretionary fund would be the “employee fund,” which was money from the vending machines in the jail and was, under previous sheriffs, used for retirement parties or a Christmas dinner.

At the time Hill took office, there was about $8,339.47 in the vending machine account, according to the lawsuit.

According to Blasingim, Hill bought seven of his own vending machines, placing them in the jail, collecting “thousands of dollars weekly,” spending it on “whatever Sheriff Hill wanted to spend it on.” What it was spent on is, apparently, unaccounted for, but Blasingim alleges Hill spent the money faster than he made it.

Some of the money was spent on art for Hill’s office, according to the lawsuit. Blasingim implies the artwork — African-American cowboys and “a lynch mob scene portraying Caucasian people with shotguns” — had racist overtones that matched the sheriff’s alleged employment policies.

Hill continued to spend money, even when there wasn’t any left in the drug forfeiture fund or the vending machine fund, she alleged. Hill would, allegedly, make purchases or create debts and then tell Blasingim to sort out the finances.

(Photo from Re-elect Victor Hill)