BRANDON, MS -- The sheriff of a county in Mississippi is using seized drug money to renovate a fitness center for the county.
The board of supervisors for Rankin County, MS, authorized the sheriff’s department to proceed with the $310,000 renovation last week, according to the Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger.
The facility, which could open in late October, will have free weights, cable weights, treadmills and exercise bikes, plus other equipment and locker rooms, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
“Hopefully, it’ll lead to better performance, fewer sick days and better general health,” Rankin County Sheriff Ronnie Pennington told the newspaper. “We have a lot of deputies now that go to the fitness club and work out regularly. They have been paying for gym memberships out of their own pockets. I told them when I became sheriff that one day we would have a fitness room.”