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Letters to the Editor for 6-30-10
Posted On 02 Jul 2010
There are still some good deputies in the Sheriff’s Department
To the people of Whitley County:
As most of you are aware of a special Grand Jury was convened on Friday, June 25, 2010 to investigate allegations of wrong doing by Whitley County sheriff Lawrence Hodge and his department. Most of us, if not all of us knew this was going to happen. This didn’t take me by surprise. I have expected it for a couple of months.
What did take me by surprise were the negative comments I have heard about the entire department. Just because the sheriff and a few of his men are under investigation does not mean that the entire department is involved.
Are there bad depities employed by the sheriff’s department? Yes there are but definitely not all of them. Most of these men are honest, hard working family men who would gladly put their life on the line to save your life.The deputies are out there everyday putting their lives on the line so we can have a safe community.
In June Declare Hope/UNITE Corbin sponsored two prayer walks to pray over our community. We placed ourselves in a problem area of Whitley County. We did not ask the Sherifff’s department for assistance but a deputy showed up both times. The deputy told me that he just wanted to make sure that we had no problems.
A few of the duputies have left or are in the process of leaving. This is going to put Whitley County in a very compromising position. We need to stand behind the department and support the good ones that we do have.
If there is wrong doing in the sheriff’s department, I for one will be the first to say, let’s go after it, but don’t assume that the entire department is corrupt.
As a member of Declare Hope/UNITE Corbin, I want to see drugs and corruption eliminated from our community. But at the same time I will be the first to reach out a hand to pick those up who have fallen in our society. As Christians we have the moral obligation to forgive those who have committed wrong. We also have the moral obligation to reach out to their families and offer help and spiritual support.
If we clean this county up and don’t deal with hurting and broken families, we have not achieved our goal.
I want to encourage pastors and church members to help by praying for all those involved and give spiritual support to any and all that may be indicted in the future. We have to do this to be successful. Help us to do this.
If you would like to help, please feel free to call me at 606-215-9939.
Tom Cline
Declare Hope/UNITE Corbin Coalition
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we had a great sheriff Ancil Carter, But they had to vote Hodge in ,we all knew he would protect the drug dealers, I personally called him on a matter & was told by Hodge himself, We all have problems & we all have bad neighbors, Nothing I can do about it, to help you, These neighbors were prostituting, doing & selling drugs, & he knew it, He would do nothing. I hope he rots in jail, I am so releived that Colin Harrell was hired to clean up the garbage that was in there, God Bless You Colin,
There may be a few good Sworn Officers of the Law, but a few bad apples tends to spoil the whole barrel. The police watchdog site copwatch.net has over 16,000 criminal cops listed with Whitley County sheriff Basil Lawrence Hodge being one of them. How many officers knew that the sheriff was crooked, and looked the other way? They are just as guilty as the sheriff since they didn’t do anything about it.