Free Republic

LEE COUNTY: Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott is standing by some controversial comments he made at Governor Sarah Palin's rally on Monday - comments already gaining national attention. While speaking on stage, Scott referred to the Democratic presidential candidate by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. Those comments didn't go over well with the McCain Campaign, but Scott says he meant no harm by his remarks.

Across Pennsylvania, open-carry advocates — those who support the right to openly carry a holstered firearm — are paying close attention to Lebanon after a woman’s concealed-weapon license was revoked for wearing a loaded handgun on her hip at her daughter’s soccer game. Lebanon County Sheriff Mike DeLeo revoked Meleanie Hain’s license this week after he received complaints from a parent who attended a game played by 4- and 5-year-olds on Sept. 11 at Optimist Park. DeLeo’s action will not prevent the Lebanon woman from carrying a gun in the open, but she will not be allowed to wear it...

The Richland County, South Carolina Sheriff's Department (that's them above) just obtained an armored personnel carrier, complete with a belt-fed, .50-cal turreted machine gun. Sheriff Leon Lott has charmingly named the vehicle "The Peacemaker," and insists that using a caliber of ammunition that even the U.S. military is reluctant to use against human targets (it's generally reserved for use against armored vehicles) will "save lives."

SAN JACINTO, Calif. — With 9 reservations and 10 casinos, Riverside County is a major center of Indian gambling in California. But a standoff between county sheriff’s deputies and leaders of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians has led to an unusual effort to close one of the casinos because of safety concerns. Three Soboba members were killed in gunfights with deputies on the reservation in May, and the authorities say tribal members have shot at deputies in patrol cars and helicopters with high-powered assault rifles over the past nine months. In July, citing what it called heavy-handed treatment by...

LANCASTER - Garrard County Fiscal Court voted to strip two constables of their badges and blue lights Wednesday after the men reportedly overstepped their authority... "Because constables are elected into office, they report to the voters...

Eldorado, Texas -- For those inside the fence on a West Texas ranch populated by members of a polygamous faith, Wednesday was a holy day. For those on the outside, it was a day that passed without a hint of the apocalyptic scenario forecast by people in and out of Texas, including some former members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. .... The ranch now includes 11 dormitory-style residences, several workshops, a chicken coop, a limestone-mining quarry, a cement plant, a garden and crop fields. It has its own ambulance, firetruck and garbage truck, as...

Authorities are investigating the shooting death of an off-duty sheriff's deputy at sunrise today in the gang-ridden Cypress Park area of Los Angeles, authorities said. Police chief William Bratton and sheriff Lee Baca rushed to the scene, and Baca called this "a difficult day." Baca said "we know that the public at large is grieving the loss of a deputy sheriff, a new deputy sheriff who was in the department for just two years, working at our central jail." The name of the slain deputy sheriff has not been released, although neighbors told Los Angeles station KNX that the victim's...

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio came to Tucson on Thursday evening, but the wildly polarized greeting he got at a Midtown book signing probably made him feel right at home. America's toughest sheriff was the hottest draw at the Barnes & Noble bookstore since the last Harry Potter book came out. Outside the store's front door, a sign read "Tonight! Joe Arpaio, America's Toughest Sheriff" over a solemn-looking shot of Sheriff Joe from his new book, "Joe's Law."

A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man who turned toward him holding a gun late Tuesday, officials said.

Former Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona used racist and sexist language during secretly recorded conversations disclosed in court records this week, and also boasted that the benefits of public office included rubbing elbows with billionaires, drinking fine wine and getting "phenomenal" sex. ... Carona uses the "n" word several times and discusses various sexual escapades as he talks to former Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, who was wired and cooperating with federal authorities in a corruption investigation of Carona. ... "You're right, I've had a life that's been absolutely blessed," he says. "I've met millionaires, billionaires, I've traveled on personal...

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens was publicly sworn in as Orange County’s first female top cop today in a large public ceremony held under sunny skies with calls for an end of dark days.

Deputies kill 2 in gunbattle on SoCal Indian reservation Associated Press - May 14, 2008 12:24 AM ET SAN JACINTO, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say at least 1 of 2 people who died in a gunbattle with sheriff's deputies on an Indian reservation was a member of the tribe. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department says 36-year-old Joseph Arres and a woman whose name has not been released opened fire with assault weapons last night on guards at an entrance to the reservation of the Soboba band of Luiseno indians. They then exchanged fire with sheriff's deputies and both were killed....

Sheriff Arpaio conducted another crime suppression operation in Fountain Hills on Tuesday. A total of seven traffic stops and fourteen contacts were made throughout a seven-hour patrol period. This resulted in ten arrests, nine of them being of undocumented immigrants, and three felony warrants cleared.

PHOENIX – For some, Cinco de Mayo meant a chance to take a bat to the likeness of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Cinco de Mayo also represented a celebration for the opening of a new youth center near 13th Street and Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. Part of the celebration was beating two Sheriff Joe Arpaio piñatas, which was a part of a fundraiser. People bought tickets for a chance to take a swing at the sheriff. A lot of the people in attendance said they took the chance in fun because they are living in fear as the sheriff continues...

Published in the Springfield, MO "News-Leader": Believe it or not, Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt on Tuesday said the following to a crowd of onlookers at a rally in the rotunda of the state Capitol: "The way I hear Jason sing the national anthem makes you want to go out and kill a communist." ........ Thirty-year-old Tony Pecinovsky, a 10-year member of the party living in St. Louis, called Merritt's comment "mind-boggling." "It is unfortunate that one person's sense of patriotism leads them to talk of murder while ours leads us to fight for peace and democracy and equality and...

MUSKOGEE — A Muskogee County sheriff's deputy was fired for using a county fuel card to purchase gasoline for his lawnmower, Sheriff Charles Pearson said Friday. Today This Week Sports Today 1. Police discover remains in missing... 2. How sex, obsession fueled city murder... 3. Oklahoma City actor, radio host dies... 4. Ex-wife charged in 28-year-old slaying 5. Oklahoma City murder-for-hire plot... 6. Missing woman's car found; a body inside 7. Police searching for missing woman 8. In Oklahoma: Henry backs Obama 9. Winning Powerball ticket about to expire 10. NBA says Seattle is harassing... 1. OU's mascot makeover 2....

A new tool has found a home at the White County Jail for those inmates who “misbehave and cause problems,” said Sheriff Oddie Shoupe - a restraint chair. While the restraint chair has not been used as of yet because the entire staff must complete an instructional seminar on the proper use of the device, Shoupe said he hopes it deters some of the vandalism to jail property and alleviates some of the needless costs to the county. According to Shoupe, inmates have broken numerous windows, attempted to flush towels down the commode and caused destruction to a variety of...

Who’s in Charge? : Core duties of County Sheriff’s Office should be more clearly defined Clint Bolick, Goldwater Institute Daily Email, April 02, 2008 Did the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office recent use of Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) funds to send staff members to Honduras violate the law-enforcement purposes to which such funds are limited? Did the sheriff’s highly publicized “saturation patrols”—comprised of nearly 200 deputies and “posse” members—trespass the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Police Department? The feud between the Sheriff’s Office and local police departments, bereft of coordination or agreement over priorities, threatens to devolve into law...

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) - The Macomb County sheriff has ordered that all suspected drunken drivers stopped by his deputies face a blood test.

Train Blocks Chili Avenue by Rich Turner Published Mar 24, 2008 A disabled train has Chili Avenue blocked at the 3300 block, near Old Chili-Scottsville Road. The train hit a boulder on the tracks, causing

Sevier County (WVLT) -- Public remarks lead to a public confrontation in Sevier County, where a former political opponent claims Sheriff Ron Seals assaulted him. It happened Monday night as the county commission quickly adjourned a public meeting while Brad Lowe was speaking. Volunteer TV's Rob Pratt joins us with more, including video of the incident that you'll see only on WVLT. Brad Lowe admits he wanted to be sheriff, and it's no secret that he and Sheriff Seals do not get along. But he says what happened to him Monday night is inexcusable, and he wants to see Sheriff...

I was interested in how sheriffs department interface with DA offices as opposed to other agencies. Seems straight forward, sheriffs get them, da put them in jail and then sheriffs take care of the jails. Any officers here that can list the details, problems or specific issues dealing with these two agencies? Thanks.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) joined the Midland County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of a reported theft of more than 200 firearms, both handguns and long guns, from a federally licensed firearms dealer in Stanford. On Feb. 6, 2008, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a breaking and entering was discovered at Joe Gun Inc., 152 E Saginaw Rd., Suite 6, Sanford, MI 48657. Thomas E. Brandon, special agent in charge of ATF in Michigan, said, “The theft

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, S.C., Jan. 31, 2008 – Joining the Marine Corps family has been a tradition for countless generations of Marines. Some join because a father, grandfather or another family member was a Marine. But new Marine Pfc. Brett Lockhart decided to join after some of his coworkers motivated him to become part of another family. Marine Pfc. Brett Lockhart, a new Marine and former police officer, stands with his former coworkers from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office in Titusville, Fla., who came to his recruit training graduation. Photo by Lance Cpl. Evelio Ramos, USMC  (Click...

Many of the illegal immigrants who once were a visible part of Bay County’s schools, churches and construction sites have disappeared. Sheriff Frank McKeithen said earlier this month the work of his agency is a major factor in the exodus. However, construction experts and others involved in the immigrant community say the construction boom that brought the workers to Bay County has dried up, forcing them to seek work elsewhere. “There are a lot of people that are disappearing,” said Efren Cisneros, who runs a Bible study for Spanish speakers at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church. Participation is down by...

Here are the answers to some of the questions readers have had this week about the resignation of Sheriff Mike Carona: Q: If it's illegal for Carona to accept the pro bono services of two attorneys working on his criminal case, how could Mike Schroeder represent him for free for all those years? A:State law allows for free legal services to political candidates under the government's election code, so Schroeder was free to act as Carona's lawyer on those issues for, well, free. (Schroeder also worked pro bono on Trung Nguyen's unsuccessful election challenge of Supervisor Janet Nguyen.) Watchdog Shirley...

Most government enforcers assume a low profile after they’re sued, at least for a while. Not New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets. Within hours of being sued by Barbara and Steve Smith, and members of Meadowsweet Farm’s Limited Liability Company (as described in a posting here earlier this week), two agents showed up at the farm in Lodi, apparently looking for trouble. They found it, in the form of the Smiths, who knew exactly what the agents were entitled to, and not entitled to, and whom to call when the agents wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. I’ll let...

A county sheriff who had publicly expressed frustration with "politically correct" antagonism from secular America toward the religious foundations of Christmas now is under investigation for his thoughts, according to a county commissioner.Larimer, Colo., County Sheriff Jim Alderden's opinions were expressed in his "Bulls-Eye" website column recently. He had been prompted to write after watching the ongoing dispute in the city of Fort Collins, where a task force recommended white lights, as well as neutral and non-religious decorations such as snowflakes, snowmen, snowballs, ice skates, skis, penguins and polar bears for this time of year. "Penguins? This is dangerous territory....

Posted on Sat, Dec. 08, 2007 Protest may put Mackey on hold JIM MORRILL A Mecklenburg Democratic Party activist said Friday she plans to protest the process that led to Thursday's sheriff's vote, a move that could delay Nick Mackey's taking office or nullify his selection altogether. Jane Whitley, a former party secretary who voted in the contest, told state party chairman Jerry Meek that she believes the party failed to follow its own rules in choosing precinct voters. County commissioner Parks Helms said he would urge colleagues to delay Mackey's formal appointment until the protest is resolved, which could...

Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona has resigned from a prominent federal Homeland Security task force and lost his security clearance after a federal indictment against him was unsealed, Homeland Security officials said Thursday...

Ebenezer – An out-of-practice veterinarian arrested on Oct. 24 on charges of trafficking hydrocodone, which authorities believe he obtained fraudulently, admits that he has struggled with an addiction to codeine but said the charges against him are unwarranted. “I do have a drug problem,” said Richard Keeton, 60, who was the subject of a joint investigation by local, state and federal agencies that turned up an estimated 400 capsules of hydrocodone and about 800 pills of valium during a search of Keeton’s home on Cook Creek Road. “I was self-medicating. I have a weakness for codeine. It’s been like a...

SIERRA VISTA — Intelligence gathering on the mean streets in Iraq is critical in helping save the lives of American GIs. That’s the view of Capt. Brendon Dever, who knows the importance of human intelligence gathering, and analysis of information and other sources, after spending 15 months in that country, mostly in Baghdad. The son of Larry and Nancy Dever — his dad is the Cochise County sheriff — the 32-year-old soldier started his military career as an infantry officer eight years ago. He switched to the military intelligence four years ago. His unit went to Iraq in June 2006,...

Most of the chain e-mails I receive, I delete. Occasionally I read one that appears to be humorous or interesting. My mother sent me one titled SHERIFF JOE IS AT IT AGAIN. This e-mail, while not humorous, is definitely interesting. The chain e-mail is about Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the operation he runs in Maricopa County, Ariz. The e-mail says the inmates live in tent cities, there are female chain gangs and inmates eat brown-bag lunches. I had received Sheriff Joe e-mails before, as had my husband, and we always dismissed them as urban legend, amazing, entertaining, but certainly not...

ROBIN HOOD'S PRISON? SHERIFF'S DUNGEON FOUND AT NOTTINGHAM GAOL By Caroline Lewis 17/10/2007 One of the above ground prison cells at the Galleries of Justice. © Galleries of Justice New evidence has been discovered that the medieval caves under Nottingham’s Galleries of Justice museum were once used by the Sheriff of Nottingham as a prison. The dark dungeon cells would have been in use when the Sheriff resided at the Shire Hall and County Gaol. “It is an exciting discovery,” said Tim Desmond, Chief Executive at the Galleries. “The cave has always been known as the ‘Sheriff’s Dungeon’, but until...

There’s a new sheriff in the Democratic partyWhy secular progressives are Soros at liberals By Dave Weinbaum Published: Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:43 PM CDT Bill O’Reilly is onto something. His book Culture Warrior describes a dangerous turn in southpaw politics and how the “liberals in charge of the Democratic Party” (LICDIPS) are wooing them. The Soros led and financed “secular progressive’s” (SPROGS) disdain with the not far enough left has contributed to the lowest poll ratings for congress in American history. Did I mention Democrats control Congress? Those at the top of the Dem ticket are petrified. They can’t...

Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee died this morning, Chief Deputy Newell Normand announced. Lee was admitted to the hospital Sunday morning after having difficulty breathing at home. He had just returned earlier in the week from treatment for his leukemia at M.D. Anderson Center in Houston. "Harry Lee, sheriff of the parish of Jefferson left us," Normand announced outside Ochsner Hospital. "He was a man who truly loved the parish. He spent so many years of dedicated service to the parish of Jefferson." Normand added, "His passing was one with dignity, so much love, with his family and his friends...

An Anaheim woman filed a federal lawsuit against the Orange County Sheriff's Department today, claiming her religious rights were violated when deputies forced her to remove her hijab, or head scarf. Deputies insisted Souhair Khatib, 33, who is Muslim; remove her scarf when she was being booked into a county jail in connection with a probation violation. Islam dictates that women must wear the hijab, which covers a woman's hair and neck, for reasons of modesty. Khatib was seen by deputies and other men from her mosque without her covering, causing her extreme emotional distress, her lawsuit says. "For Souhair,...

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP) -- The sheriff of Broward County resigned Tuesday amid a corruption investigation, and a law enforcement official said a plea deal was in the works involving federal tax evasion and mail fraud charges. Sheriff Ken Jenne made his resignation official in an e-mail to his employees and in a separate letter to Gov. Charlie Crist. "I need to turn my attention to myself and my family," Jenne wrote in the e-mail. Under the agreement, Jenne would plead guilty to three counts of tax evasion and one count of mail fraud, according to a senior federal law...

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez claims she is the target of Republicans who oppose change and want to get back at Democrats. With the 2008 general election still 15 months away, the Dallas County sheriff’s race already is showing signs of getting nasty. Local Republicans, still reeling from the results of November 2006, have taken square aim at Democratic Sheriff Lupe Valdez, who in 2004 became the first member of her party to capture the post in 30 years. And Valdez — also the first woman, the first lesbian and the first Hispanic to serve as Dallas County sheriff —...

Wayne Rausch says Moscow - not to mention UI campus - would be safer places if more qualified people were packing MOSCOW - With 540 persons carrying concealed weapons permits in Latah County, Sheriff Wayne Rausch said Tuesday he wouldn't mind if more applied and qualified to carry guns. That includes on the campus of the University of Idaho. "In my opinion, if there were more students with CPWs, the world would be safer," Rausch said. He pointed out virtually anyone can carry a weapon in plain sight. People who seek concealed weapons permits, the sheriff said, are rarely a...

The county sheriff said he won't disconnect a hot line he created for people to report information about illegal immigrants that has been decried as promoting ethnic profiling. ADVERTISEMENT Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio stressed Wednesday that deputies would investigate people only if authorities had probable cause.

A “concentrated crackdown” on illegal immigrants started Friday night in Maricopa County. Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced he’s dispatched more than 200 deputies and posse members to saturate valley cities and roadways known to be corridors for human smuggling. East Valley hot spots include Bush Highway, U.S. Highway 60 and “any major highway,” said deputy chief Brian Sands. Arpaio said he’s also opening a hotline for tipsters to report suspected illegal immigrants. Arpaio said the program is comprehensive and controversial, but that it’s constitutional. “We’re not going to go out on a street corner and round up people because they look...

When he wanted a training academy and firing range, he built them. When he needed a helicopter pilot, he learned to fly. When a bad guy ran, he chased him. He didn’t ask permission. He didn’t hold meetings. He didn’t hire a consultant. He just did it. If there is any one trait that defines Tim Hutchison, Knox County’s longest-serving sheriff, it is this: He is a man of action, doing what he wants, when he wants and how he wants. “I’m the kind of person that if you need to get something done, let’s go do it,” said Hutchison,...

Topless woman battles deputies By Kymm Mann/Appeal-Democrat May 16, 2007 - 4:53PM East Nicolaus High School was locked down Tuesday afternoon after a bare-breasted, shotgun-toting woman reportedly took a shot at a cropduster. Sutter County Sheriff Jim Denney said the woman, Jaymi Louise Sanders, 47, possibly from the Pleasant Grove area, was walking near Pacific Avenue about one-quarter south of Nicolaus Avenue in south Sutter County, near the school. “We got a call about 12:15, someone reporting there was a female carrying a shotgun and waving it around in that area,” Denney said. “We also heard that she allegedly had...

PARIS Hilton could be forced to join a "chain gang" because overcrowding in Los Angeles jails mean the hotel heiress might not be able to serve her 45-day sentence in prison. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in charge of the US's only "all-female chain gang", says he's spoken to the chief of jails in Los Angeles and offered to house Hilton at Tent City in Arizona. "I just made an offer," Sheriff Arpaio told the Drudge Report. "Instead of reducing for her sentence, which I feel is wrong, why not bring her over here? We can incarcerate her here. She...

The "naked rambler" Stephen Gough has been cleared of causing a breach of the peace by refusing to cover up in a public car park. Despite being convicted eight times, Sheriff Isobel Poole ruled that his latest case was not proven. The ex-marine, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, admitted refusing to dress before being released into Saughton Prison car park in Edinburgh.

PHOENIX -- The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has launched a preliminary inquiry into possible corruption in the $1.4 billion light-rail construction project now under way in metropolitan Phoenix. ---snip--- The first 20 miles of the light-rail project through Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix is expected to open in December, 2008.

With precious little entertainment inside Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jails, radio KJOE should be a big hit with the Sheriff’s 10,000 inmates when it makes its programming debut on Monday February 5, 2007, at twelve noon, from the basement studio in Fourth Avenue Jail. Sheriff Arpaio, along with the famous radio team of Tim and Willy from KNIX radio, will welcome inmates to the premiere show on KJOE radio – which Arpaio says will educate, inform and entertain the men and women incarcerated in the jails.“For years now, I’ve taken away most of their TV viewing, all movie rentals and...

Police said they arrested a South Charleston man for driving under the influence after he flipped his middle finger at Kanawha County Sheriff Mike Rutherford and then crashed his car. Glenn Harold Vickers, 53, was arrested Thursday night near the Microtel Inn off the Montrose Drive exit in South Charleston. Rutherford said Vickers took the exit and as he did, he extended his middle finger toward the sheriff. Vickers then crashed the right side of his station wagon along the exit's guardrail, Rutherford said.

Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 28-year-old mother of three who died after taking part in a radio station's water-drinking contest. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department decided to pursue the investigation Wednesday after listening to a tape of the Jan. 12 morning radio show obtained by The Sacramento Bee, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said. On the tape, disc jockeys on KDND-FM's "Morning Rave" show joke about the possible dangers of consuming too much water, at one point even alluding to a Northern California college student who died during a similar hazing stunt in 2005. During the show,...