Fire chief accused of $28K theft from defunct department

“The whole community knew stuff was going on, but nobody would do nothing about it or prove it,” resident Mickey Mathews said. “They’d get grant money, boat money. Nothing was going on. No improvements, no trucks out, no insurance paid.” Instead, according to state investigators, chief Gordon Wayne Turner funneled more than $28,000 into personal expenses between 2014 and 2018. About $11,000 went to utilities, a state detective wrote in court documents. Over $3,000 went to TV and cell phone bills. Another $14,080 went straight into Turner’s pocket.