Sheriff, supervisor in verbal flap

By By Lynette Wilson / staff writer
Sept. 13, 2002
A verbal sparing match erupted Thursday between District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell and Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie.
The heated exchange concerned managing the sheriff department's request for money and a two-week-old vandalism investigation at the Interstate 20/59 industrial site.
To which Sollie said, "Yes, we did. But we had a murder yesterday and we were busy with that. If you think you can do a better job as sheriff, the qualifying date is in January."
Boswell told Sollie, "You think you are so hot and that you are the only one that can get elected sheriff."
The fight ensued after Sollie asked the board of supervisors for $17,321 to renew a service contract for the jail's camera system and electronic doors, and $7,151 to renew the maintenance agreement for the jail's fingerprinting system.
From that point, words took off in all directions, and both elected officials fought for the television camera's attention.
Sollie told Boswell that in Louisiana the sheriff's department taxes the people for services.
Later Thursday afternoon, Sollie called a press conference and said an investigator followed up on the car tag offered the department by the county patrolman and determined the suspect's vehicle was not involved in the damage to a garage door at the industrial site. He said Boswell was to supply his office with a total of economic damages to the site two weeks ago.
He said there are no further suspects in the vandalism case.