Sullivan County Attorney Dan Street says that he will not represent the county if a lawsuit is filed against them by the Sheriff. A State statute allows a sheriff to sue for increased funding and such a suit could cost thousands of dollars. Street says because he represents the Sheriff’s Office in other lawsuits it would not be in the best interest of the county for him to be involved in this one. The sheriff claims to have hired a Johnson City attorney who has experience through a similar lawsuit filed by Carter County’s sheriff. The Carter County lawsuit lasted a year and cost the county around 55-thousand dollars in attorney fees while the Sheriff’s Office spent over 53-thousand. (bg)