A sheriff's sergeant faces potential disciplinary action after he was allegedly ordered to clean evidence out of the old Brown County Jail, but demolition workers later found drugs, live ammunition and paperwork in the rubble.

Brown County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Moore told merit board members Tuesday night he wanted to speak to a lawyer before answering any of their questions.

"I want to cooperate and will answer your questions right now if ordered to do so, but I would like to get some legal counsel and review my rights," he said.

Merit board members gave Moore six weeks to get counsel and return before the board, which is tasked with investigating and possibly recommending disciplinary action.

"We need to hear your story. It's the only way we can make a decision that's fair for the officer, the department and the community," said merit board chairman Dr. Robert Percival.

Meanwhile, Moore will continue to work for the Brown County Sheriff's Office with his full rank and no sanctions.

Items workers found while demolishing the old jail included a Rubbermaid tub holding 20 pounds of marijuana from a 1997 drug case, according to Sheriff Robert "Buck" Stogsdill.

"What an embarrassment for this department had this got out on the streets and [been] sold. It is bad enough that it was left there period," Stogsdill said.

The building had sat abandoned in the center of town for nearly six years before being taken down in recent weeks. Workers and a contractor hired to oversee demolition reported the discovery, which also included a number of small bags of marijuana, according to one of the men. They handed over the finds to a police officer on duty near the old jail site.

Stogsdill said the embarrassing and potentially dangerous situation forced him to pursue disciplinary action against Moore.

"Over the past five years, Mike has been asked and ordered to get the evidence from the old jail over here. I even gave him two weeks at one time to do so," Stogsdill told merit board members Tuesday night.

"In late October and early November of this year, Mike was paid overtime to oversee getting things out of the old jail before it being demolished. Two more men were paid to load and carry out the items ... only to have things left behind," he said.

-- Tom Lotshaw, Brown County Democrat