Coweta County Sheriff Mike Yeager said state ethics complaints lodged against him are trumped-up accusations intended to tarnish his character.

While the sheriff says he won't use tactics employed by his three accusers, Yeager said he does plan to strike back.

"These few that made these claims are doing whatever they can to tarnish my name because they couldn't attack me from the job side, but I'm not going to stoop to their level," Yeager said. "I'm talking to an attorney to see what recourse I have."

The State Ethics Commission held an informal hearing Feb. 25 in Douglasville to determine if there was sufficient evidence to support a claim that Yeager used the sheriff department's assets for political campaign purposes during the 2004 election cycle.

Scott Smith, a former sheriff candidate; Lynn Bradley, Smith's campaign manager; and Scott Ruppert, Smith's business partner, lodged the complaint, ethics commission spokesman Teddy Lee said.

The complaint alleges Yeager acted inappropriately by:

- Tying a Yeager for Sheriff campaign balloon on a county vehicle during a Fourth of July barbecue.

- Placing a campaign bumper stickers on county vehicle.

- Placing a campaign sign in the window at a precinct.

- Placing a departmental e-mail address on a campaign brochure.

Yeager said he did not instruct any employee to place campaign advertisements on county property. Whenever something was brought to his attention, he dealt with the problem swiftly.

He always instructed his employees to take the advertisements down, he said. There were never any repeat occurrences after he did so, he added.

When asked if he placed his department's e-mail address on a campaign brochure, Yeager said he admitted to that, but he added it was a mistake.

"I did it by accident," Yeager said. "There was no malice."

He said when the printer asked him for his e-mail address, he gave the e-mail address at the sheriff's department without thinking about it.

Yeager's admission gave the commission sufficient evidence it needed to set a formal hearing. The date of the hearing has not been released.

Yeager alleges his accusers are trying to make it seem like he stole from the department. But he indicated nothing could be farther from the truth.

"It's so ludicrous," Yeager said. "They are trying to make it look like I took something from the department. For 12 years, I have done nothing but give to this department."

Yeager said he would never take from a department he loves. Those who know him, Yeager said, would agree.

"We've always run this department with the highest degree of integrity and fiscal responsibility and we're going to continue to do just that," Yeager said.

Yeager trounced Smith during the race. The sheriff incumbent won 12,039 votes, while Smith garnered 4,526 votes.

Yeager alleged Smith and his supporters are still bitter about the loss, and that's what prompted the complaints.

"I think it's sour grapes," Yeager said. "I think they just need to move on because that's what we are going to do. We're going to just continue working."