BENTONVILLE (KFSM) – The 2016 Benton County Sheriff’s race is heating up on social media sites, as Sheriff Kelley Cradduck’s wife has challenged voters to look into the record of a recently declared candidate.
“To all who are interested in the candidates running for sheriff, feel free to utilize your FOI rights in Butts County, Georgia. And let the record speak for itself,” Sabrina Cradduck wrote on her husband’s personal Facebook page on Sunday (June 7). She also said Cradduck is seeking re-election.
The candidate Sabrina Cradduck is referring to in that post, Tim Filbeck, responded on his campaign Facebook page, Filbeck 4 Sheriff, on Sunday.
On that page, Filbeck, a corporal in the Siloam Springs Police Department, identifies himself as a former member of the Butts County Sheriff’s Office.
“To set the record straight, I am not nor have I EVER been under a Grand Jury investigation, indictment or any query,” he wrote. “I would absolutely encourage people to FOI my personnel file from Butts County. You will find exemplary service. The address for the Butts County Sheriff’s Office is 835 Ernest Biles Drive, Jackson, Georgia 30233. My employee file will give credit to why I should be the next Sheriff of Benton County.”
5NEWS has submitted a freedom of information request for those records and was told by an official in the Butts County Sheriff’s Office that a reply might take at least three days.
Also on Sunday, Filbeck posted a note on this campaign Facebook site, denying accusations that he has attacked the Cradduck family. Filbeck declared his candidacy in April.
“I have personally lived through chemotherapy and radiation as I fought for life in the battle against Ewing’s sarcoma bone cancer, so I know what it takes to win that battle,” he wrote on Sunday. “Be assured I have not and will not ever attack the medical condition or treatment anyone goes through whether they are family, friend or campaign opponent. ”
In the comments section beneath that post, Sabrina Cradduck wrote: “No, but you have made comments about how (Kelley Cradduck) doesn’t or didn’t go to work when those were the reasons why.”
In October, Cradduck said because of wife’s illness he would delegate some duties to a subordinate to free up more time so he could help take care of his wife.
He resumed his full time schedule at the beginning of November.
