Lavonia Housing Authority Moving Forward, Says Whitworth

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia

Lavonia Housing Authority Executive Director Ricky Whitworth is thanking residents for their patience and cooperation in the wake of the arrest of the authority’s office manager earlier this month.

Former Lavonia Housing Authority Office Manager Sabrina Weaver was arrested October 3 and charged with one count of theft by taking from the Lavonia Housing Authority’s central office.

However, Lavonia Assistant Police Chief Matt London said the extent of the alleged theft is not yet known and the investigation is ongoing.

Whitworth said Weaver had worked for the Lavonia Housing Authority in the front office for 11 years; eight of those as the office manager.

Because of that, residents’ rent was not processed until the middle of this month, according to Whitworth.

Whitworth said each resident’s file and lease agreement was gone over to make sure their records were in good order.

Whitworth went on to say the discovery of the theft has been distressing for everyone, but he has been impressed with how cooperative all of the residents in the Lavonia Housing Authority have been since the alleged theft came to light.
“I just want to thank all of our tenents for being as patient with us as they have been,” Whitworth said. “We actually didn’t post September’s rent until the middle of this month to make sure that they were correct. We talked to all 180 residents face-to-face and went over their files to make sure everything was correct and corrected what wasn’t. They’ve given us a lot of room to work this out.”
The thought of residents at the Lavonia Housing Authority not being treated fairly is distressing to Whitworth and he said he has been grateful for the way those residents have been willing to work with him to everything out.
“I’ve always said the blessing of this job is the residents and people we work with and to think that somebody is not being treated fairly is not only not acceptable, it breaks your heart,” Whitworth said. “The fact is, they’re good people and they want to do the best they can for their families.”
Also, Whitworth said the Lavonia Housing Authority office has been working with its auditors since the arrest to make sure the books and resident files are correct.

He said his office continues to move forward with business as usual.

“We’ve been working hard since we found out about this to correct the files and bring them current,” Whitworth said. “It’s important that everybody knows that the housing authority is operating correctly like we should have all along. The rest of it will take place during the investigation.”

Whitworth said he cannot comment on the details of the investigation, but London confirms they have called in the FBI to go over the books.

Meanwhile, Whitworth said he is advertising for a new office manager for the Lavonia Housing Authority.