12 AUG 07: CHIEFS BEHAVING BADLY
We told you last month that some people are concerned about new hires in the Columbus Police Department. But sometimes, strange things can happen at the top of the force. Chiefs and sheriffs can't advance any higher, so they make new dreams. Some want to become king - while others get in trouble for thinking they already are.
We have examples of both cases today. The first came our way from a regular e-mailer:
Richard:
I haven't contacted you of late, for a couple of reasons. First, it seems that you have plenty to deal with; right in your immediate area. Second, I have'nt had anything worth shouting about - just the same old stuff - rotting garbage, impromptu firings, and no police protection. The Mare keeps on in her willy nilly way and the citizens are like Rip Van Winkle!
One thing caught my eye today. The Union Springs Herald ran an article about one of our past "Hurt'sboro police chief's (we have had many) that solidifies my assessment of the swill pail we live in!
> FORMER LOCAL OFFICER ARRESTED
> Alabama State Troopers and members of The Alabama Bureau of Investigationon July 27'th issued a statement regarding the arrest of a Kinston, Alabama man on two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree, first degree sodomy and first degree rape charges.
> The ABI said the victims were 8 and 9 year old girls.
> The ABI arrested Harold Frost, age 44. He was transported to the Coffee County Jail and later posted bond.
> Frost once served as an officer with the Union Springs Police Department and the Hurtsboro Police Department as well as other police departments in Alabama.He resigned from the local police department in July 2005 and took employment elsewhere.
> He was employed with the Newton Police Department when arrested.
> According to a report in THE DOTHAN EAGLE he was suspended by the Newton Police Department.
> The Department of Human Resources and Coffee County Sheriffs Office assisted in the ABI's investigation, according to the story in the EAGLE.
This guy is just another example of the well traveled "gypsy" cops that seek employment (and get it!) in small towns everywhere!! Frost is the third "officer" that has been exposed as a wrongdoer with "Hurt'sboro connections! It's sad to say - but two of them are still active and will probably continue with their dirty work undetected.
Constable R.J. Schweiger
I have this funny feeling about former Hurtsboro residents -- that when they apply for work in other cities, they don't use the Constable as a reference on their resumes.
We went to the Dothan Eagle's web site Friday to confirm this story, but we couldn't find it. A search for "Hurtsboro" turned up nothing. That might be just as well -- because our blog is approaching one Hurtsboro entry for every three residents.
R.J. Schweiger seems to suggest Harold Frost did something criminal, when he was Hurtsboro police chief. But if that's true, I doubt a nearby town such as Union Springs would have hired him. Someone would have said something, while chasing down a speeder on Highway 51.
But the Constable makes a good point about "gypsy cops." The Columbus Police Department conducts criminal background checks on all its applicants. Do small-town police forces really have time to do that? I guess it depends -- based on whether the biggest local crime problem is Otis the town drunk.
By the way, Columbus police have been embarrassed this year by a few officers facing criminal charges. Does that qualify Columbus for "swill pail" status as well? Or are we large enough to qualify for the bucket title?
Now to the other extreme - a top law officer who may dream of becoming king. Some people in Marion County, Georgia say Sheriff Horace Snider fits that description. For instance, you may have noticed Saturday's big speeding crackdown in Columbus didn't extend to surrounding counties.
It was a bit strange to learn Friday that an escapee from the Marion County Jail had been captured in Austin, Texas. Sheriff Horace Snider openly admitted Daniel Melendez was caught "a month to six weeks ago." A check in Austin revealed it actually was eight weeks ago. But Snider apparently never bothered to tell anybody -- as if he's organizing a big parade for Melendez's return.
Daniel Melendez's escape from Marion County topped the TV news last September. After all, he was awaiting trial for a 1999 murder in Buena Vista. So you'd think the Sheriff would want to reassure residents that Melendez was back in custody. Instead, Horace Snider may have hoped everyone forgot about the case - but then, maybe he did too.
Daniel Melendez is being held in Austin, Texas on a drunk driving charge. Marion County Sheriff Horace Snider says once that matter is settled, he'll be extradited back to Georgia - which gives Snider a few more days to finally fix that jail fence with the hole in the bottom.
Some people in Marion County suspect Sheriff Horace Snider didn't make a big deal about the Daniel Melendez escape because he's protecting illegal immigrant workers. I've heard of a lot of things in the South, but I've never heard of a sheriff doubling as Chamber of Commerce director.
E-MAIL UPDATE: The weekend messages also included another announcement from a local state representative:
Governor Perdue announced today that net revenue collections for the month of July 2007 (FY08) totaled $1,299,683,000 compared to $1,176,085,000 for July 2006(FY07), an increase of $123,598,000 or 10.5%.
July is the first month of Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. The percentage increase year-to-date for FY08 compared to FY07 is 10.5%.
Richard Smith
Representative, District 131
Imagine how strong the August revenue number will be - from people paying sales taxes on all their new air conditioners.
And that leads us to some short weekend highlights....
+ The high temperature in Columbus hit another record Saturday, at 103 degrees F. It was SO HOT that radio announcers were ordered to stop playing Keith Sweat songs.
(WRBL reported Troy University's football team held a scrimmage, with a field temperature of 125 degrees. You'd think some Southern school would take the lead, in promoting a college version of arena football.)
+ The Ledger-Enquirer reported Columbus State University strength coach Gary Gibson is in line to become Muscogee County Schools Athletic Director. How will the school conspiracy theorists explain this one? C.S.U. is located a lot closer to Hardaway High School than Shaw.
+ Columbus State University had a back-to-school party for its RiverPark campus. One event was an ice cream eating contest, with NO hands allowed. I assume a canvas was under all the bowls - and the mess students left will be posted on a wall as "art work."
+ Peachtree Mall hosted local tryouts for "America's Next Top Model." So how many of these young women were bold enough to admit on their applications they attend Beacon University?
+ Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue received a bottle of dry Alabama dirt, to pay off a bet over the Little League baseball regionals. Imagine what Alabama Governor Bob Riley will do, if his state loses the legal fight over river water.
+ Instant Message to Phenix City Police Chief Brian McGarr: I don't get it. How can you get away with mentioning "zero tolerance" for speeding in school zones - while church pastors who preach with that phrase are considered backwards and dangerous?
BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $2.43 a gallon at Petro, Brown Avenue and Cusseta Road.... FREE entertainment at the Columbus International Festival, at the Civic Center.... and an Oxbow Meadows program on earthworms, carefully placed one month after the "Insectival"....
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: Because of a Sunday road trip, we will have NO entry Monday. And our post time for the next few days will change, to around 8:00 a.m. ET.)
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