Sampson County Sheriff says his office is dealing with critical vacancies

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton posted on his Facebook page that there is a critical staffing shortage within his office.

He chalks it up to officers not receiving enough pay.

"For example, an animal control deputy has been reassigned to serve civil process, such as child support papers, due to all the vacancies," Thornton wrote on his Facebook.

In the meantime, Sampson County Animal Control services throughout the county are limited.

"We should not be reducing the level of service to Sampson County Government, but this ongoing problem of inadequate pay for our officers is having a negative ripple effect," he wrote on his Facebook page.

According to the county's 2021-22 budget, the sheriff's office asked for $4.18 million to go toward salaries. The Sampson County administration recommended $4.45 million and the county commissioners approved $4.49 million, which is an 8% increase from the previous year.

The sheriff saw a salary increase from $89,616 to $97,632, the budget shows.

Deputies are paid around $40,000, with some being paid more and others less, depending on their rank. The lowest any sheriff's deputy is receiving, according to the 2021-22 budget, is around $36,000.

Dozens of people commented on the sheriff's Facebook post, indicating that they supported the sheriff in this effort.