Floyd County sheriff’s candidate Cary Cooper is being scrutinized for a Facebook posting stating he was going to raffle off a Remington shotgun at a barbecue fundraiser a week ago.
Political candidates are forbidden to have raffles of any kind, according to Georgia law.
The posting was later changed to call the gun a door prize, which is also illegal, according to the law.
Cooper, a Republican, is running against incumbent Democrat Tim Burkhalter in the November election.
The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, which handles raffle permits, has turned the matter over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, according to Chief Deputy Tom Caldwell.
Cooper declined to comment until the investigation is finished.
Cooper told WSB-TV on Thursday that the money collected for tickets was only for the cost of the barbecue.
According to Caldwell the sheriff’s office would normally be obligated to do something if they were made aware of a possible illegal raffle. But since Cooper is running against Burkhalter, they turned the matter over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Caldwell and District Attorney Leigh Patterson say many people are not aware of the law.
Patterson said she has never prosecuted a case concerning an illegal raffle.
