Alabama sheriff  Todd Entrekin legally used more than 750,000 dollars from funds meant to feed inmates to buy his self a beach house.

The Etowah County sheriff told news sources that he follows a state law passed before World War II that allows him to pocket “excess” inmate feeding funds for himself.

And according to state and law officials in Alabama, Entrekin is correct. It is legal to do this.

Alabama has a law that allows sheriffs to “keep and retain” unspent money from jail food provision accounts.

They are also liable for making up for the money in the event of a shortfall.

Entrekin reported that he made “more than 250,000”  for the past three years through the inmates’ food funds. It says so on the ethics disclosures that he was required to fill out.

However, the ethics disclosures also show that Entrekin and his wife own several properties with total value of 1.7 million dollars.

This includes the beach house that they recently acquired.

His annual salary is more than $93,000, but Entrekin bought the four bedroom beach house in its luxurious amenities last September for $740,000.

The mortgage for the beach house is $592,000.

Entrekin said in a emailed statement to NPR news that he believes that the “liberal media has began attacking me for following the letter of the law.”

He goes on to say in the statement that: “The Food Bill is a controversial issue that’s used every election cycle to attack the Sheriff’s Office….Alabama Law is clear regarding my personal financial responsibilities of feeding inmates. Until the legislature acts otherwise, the Sheriff must follow the current law.”

Entrekin believes that the law should change. But he also believes that it would cost taxpayers more money for the state to handle feeding the inmates than for the sheriffs to, according to a statement made by him in 2009 to the Times.

“The law says it’s a personal account and that’s the way I’ve always done it.” he said to various news outlets.