Issues and Concerns

So the pro-Riley camp thinks I and others should take any concerns or evidence and meet with Sheriff Riley face to face in an open door setting. Mr. Pro-Riley supporter let me say that I don’t believe you would make a very good detective. Card players generally don’t show their hands during the game. You should stay in the patrol division Lieutenant. What good would meeting with Mr. Riley be? What do you think his response would be? Would he call in Mr. Koch for an ‘independent’ review of the evidence and allegations? I am under the impression that the State Bureau of Investigation would make a more thorough independent review. But thanks for the offer, of course if it were yours to make. Actually that is not my concern. I simply believe that Sheriff Riley is not doing a good job as sheriff as outlined in many news sources. I am sure Mr. Riley is a charming man and very likeable. However, it is his job performance that I am most concerned with.

By definition:

Allegation: Something alleged; an assertion. A statement asserting something without proof.
Assertion: A positive statement or declaration, often without support or reason.
Slander: Defamation, calumny. A malice, false, and defamatory statement or report. Defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures.

As opposed to:

Truth: Actual state of matter. Conformity with fact or reality. The state of character of being true. Actuality or actual existence. An obvious or accepted fact. Honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
Proof: Evidence sufficient to establish a thing as true, or to produce belief in its truth. Anything serving as such evidence. Evidence having probative weight. The effect of evidence in convincing the mind.

We have some questions of recent concerns by readers we would like the sheriff to address. Keep in mind these are not allegations. Too often society conforms to the saying “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” without evidence of tapes and pictures. Hearsay has ruled the day, and ruined the system. Even so, these are not brought forth as allegations, rumors or slanderous statements. These are questions on the minds of the community. Presented only for what they are, questions of concern. We as citizens have the responsibility to hold our elected officials to the highest standard. They are, after all, the ones leading us?

Earliest or most recent concerns have been that:

1. Have there been election violations with trusted friends and employees? Violations of using company time, personnel and county owned assets to campaign and use for campaigning, while on duty?
2. Have there been several adulterous relationships between officers and particularly a relationship with a very high ranking officer and woman at a local fast food restaurant?
3. Did the sheriff, fire a female officer for seeking employment with the State Highway Patrol, and then settle the ensuing federal law suit for discrimination against the woman?
4. Was a married detective of the department witnessed and photographed in a sexual act, with a woman not his wife in public?
5. Did an officer make serious derogatory racial comments against a fellow officer and his wife and also many gender related comments against other officers and still did not receive serious reprimand?
6. Did an officer give his uniform and equipment to a friend to wear at the mall who then attempted to stop young women?
7. Did an officer stop his vehicle, kill a beaver for no reason and then leave the scene while an intern was in the vehicle?
8. Did an officer sneak into a fire station and shoot a fireman in the back of the head with his taser as he was sleeping?

Let’s hope that the concerns are not true. In the meanwhile, we will consider the concerns only that, and until addressed, unsubstantiated until proven accurate or at least addressed. Surely no one will rumor or consider more, remembering the solemn duty of our community is to not judge without evidence. As jurors, we swear. Of course, we should not spread rumors of which we know nothing. Keeping in mind God said to Moses, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Exodus 20:16.

Bella's Press Conference

After watching the news conference this past week featuring Cabarrus County Commissioner Chairman Jay White and Cabarrus County Attorney Richard Koch, I marveled at the focus, intelligence and professionalism of our unbiased, seekers of truth. I was amazed at what was on display. It is interesting in seeing after years of education, no doubt in political science, and what money in degrees, actually does for Cabarrus County. Let’s recap.

First we have Attorney Richard Koch with his ‘10 single spaced’ page report. Wow, how enlightening. So you, through a painstaking independent investigation, were able to clear the deputy. I think we all saw that one coming. In those 10 pages and one hour briefing you could have told us something we didn’t know. It is obvious that you could spend a couple of weeks reviewing the law to advise us that the deputy didn’t break it. Of course in the early 1800’s slavery was legal and women couldn’t vote. I would compare shooting Bella to law enforcement officers cheating on their spouses. It may not necessarily land them in criminal court. But let’s face it; it’s still not cool.

Chairman Jay White is a different story. He at least brought something to the table. Thank you Mr. White for the intricate explanation of the effects of a tranquilizer gun, what it can do to the body and how dangerous it can be. In contrast to say a ‘real gun’. You almost had me thankful he wasn’t trained to use it. I bet bank robbers wished the sheriff’s office only used tranquilizer guns. I, on the other hand am not. I am glad that there is an undeniable difference between the two.

And finally, where was the Sheriff? Was he golfing, traveling or hiding? Why wasn’t he invited to the party? Jeff Daniels had to be at his ‘court date’. Instead he has Mr. White and Mr. Koch ‘deferring’ questions to the sheriff who they know, good and well, has no interest in answering any of them.

Isn’t it obvious to everyone that this press conference did more to hurt Cabarrus County Government then it did to help them? To me this is the most obvious in the final scene when the only person doing their job was the young lady bailing our chairman and attorney out and putting an end to this CSPAN circus. It is my opinion that this county needs a revamp!