Maj. John Gibson said Chris Hammontree was placed on leave Friday after a routine check of area pawn

Maj. John Gibson said Chris Hammontree was placed on leave Friday after a routine check of area pawn shops revealed a shotgun and a rifle Hammontree had been issued were pawned at American Pawn on Hamilton Street in Dalton. Gibson said the pawn shop owner has been cooperative and is not under investigation.
Gibson said the revelation came about as part of a system put in place several years ago in which local pawn shops send periodic lists containing information about recent transactions so police can monitor whether goods are legitimately pawned.
Gibson said in addition to the internal investigation into sheriff s office policies possibly being violated, there is a parallel hilo hawaii vacation rentals criminal investigation. He said the sheriff s office will ask District Attorney Bert Poston to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
Information on how long Hammontree has worked for the sheriff s office wasn t immediately available, but Gibson said it is several years. Gibson said the internal investigation will likely be complete within a week.
Eastside Elementary School hosted its annual Fall Festival Saturday with games, inflatables, a dunk tank, horse rides and more. Above, hilo hawaii vacation rentals Whitley Stancill, 2, gets some help from her grandfather Glenn Stancill as they decorate a pumpkin at the school.