OAK HILL -- There's a new sheriff in town, but for how long?
A Sheriff's K-9 unit pulls into the Oak Hill City Hall municipal lot later in the evening Monday as shown in this nearly pitch-black photo.
The transition from municipal police to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office was under way when Oak Hill Mayor Mary Lee Cook made the official call at 7:15 p.m. Monday that her police force under embattled Police Chief Diane Young had been disbanded.
"It was a smooth transition," the 84-year-old mayor said, pleased her arch nemesis, Young, was forced to turn in her gun and badge.
The disbandment not only put Young out of work immediately, but also Sgt. Manny Perez and officers Chris Anterio, M.J. Eberhart, Greg Gfell and Laci Szabo. They received no severance pay, but collctively they will be paid $19,000 in unused vacation pay.
The Sheriff's Office has committed to providing a deputy on patrol 24/7 with back-up from nearby patrols immediately outside the city limits.
Oak Hill's annual budget for police is $490,000 while the cost of providing police services by VCSO would be $463,000 or the equivalent of four sworn personnel.
"We will keep our deputies in place for as long as Oak Hill needs," said Gary Davidson, spokesman for Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.