Commissioner: “We Got Ahead of Ourselves” In Sangster Settlement
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JACKSON, Tenn .– The not guilty verdict handed to former Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork has some county commissioners fired up. Woolfork went to trial, accused of attempted aggravated sexual battery involving his former mistress, Deputy Sharon Sangster. “We [were] wrong, totally wrong,” Madison County Commissioner Luther T. Mercer said. Mercer said he believes his fellow commissioners made a mistake when approving a $210,000 settlement for Sangster, mostly paid by insurance, after she filed an EEOC sexual harassment complaint against Woolfork. “We got ahead of ourselves,” Mercer said. “We spent money, taxpayer’s money, that was not deserving.” The county filed an ouster lawsuit in December against Woolfork. County Attorney Steve Maroney says the county‘s legal dealings with Sangster were based on the sexual harassment claims, not the Oct. 10 incident. “Based on what we knew at the time we felt like we were making the right decision,” Madison County Commissioner Doug Stephenson said. “It could have been in the millions of dollars and we just felt like it was the wise thing to have it settled and move forward.” Some commissioners want Sangster to give the money back, others want to move forward. “We [were] wrong,” Mercer said. “We [were] totally wrong. We did it, and now we need to correct the action.” “Paying it back, I just think that’s a road that’s difficult to travel,” Stephenson said. Mercer wants the county to take legal action to get the settlement money back. Lt. Lisa Balderrama also filed a sexual harassment complaint against Woolfork. The county awarded her a $130,000 settlement.
