SLAUGHTER — A Slaughter alderman has agreed to pay a $2,500 civil penalty to settle claims by the state Ethics Board that he wrongly benefited through his company's dealings with the town government. 

Danny Allen Hobgood was accused of receiving town funds through his auto repair shop.

The Ethics Board said Monday that, according to an agreement reached last month, Hobgood Garage did work for Feliciana Welders, which works in natural gas distribution; O&M Management, which maintains and operates natural gas systems; and the P Group, which performs random drug tests for municipal governments.

All three are town vendors, and according to the ethics panel Feliciana Welders had paid Hobgood's business $187.663.77 for various services between 2022 and 2024, O&M had paid it $7.141.91 for various services and the P Group paid $118.13 for an oil change.

State law prohibits public servants from receiving things of value from entities that hold contracts with the public servant's agency. Hobgood is in his third term on the town council.

Under an agreement ratified by the ethics panel, Hobgood agreed to pay the penalty in monthly installments by mid-September.