Lancaster Learns His Lesson

By Jackelyn BarnardFirst Coast NewsCLAY COUNTY, FL -- The day after a grand jury report was released, Clay County Sheriff Scott Lancaster was back at work and ready to talk."It's certainly been a distraction. If I had to use one word it's been a distraction."A grand jury spent weeks investigating eleven allegations, everything from the sheriff fixing tickets to giving away cars. The grand jury found no wrongdoing in all allegations except one. That involved the use of a county credit card to buy flowers, clothing and groceries."These charges, the majority of them are political in nature. I made some mistakes with the credit card. I've admitted to that. We've made our corrections, the grand jury's found recommendations, so it's clear the system works."First Coast News reporter Jackelyn Barnard asked Lancaster, "What about the remark from the grand jury that the allegations were embarrassing to the county and to the department?""I completely agree with that," Lancaster said."It's inappropriate to tell you what I testified to the grand jury but I have said all along this is an embarrassing situation, created due to my lack of oversight and my attention to detail with the credit card issue and it certainly has been an embarrassment to me and the organization so I don't disagree with that statement at all."In all of this, Lancaster says he's learned a lesson."I look at every single bill every month."Now he's asking the people of Clay County, to think about something: his past, and his future."At the end of the day, has he done a good job, what he was hired to do, are the mistakes not going to happen again? I can assure you they're not going to happen again and lets move forward."Lancaster says he realizes the controversy in the run for re-election this fall.But Lancaster says he is committed to doing his job as sheriff.