Time out! Hold the phone. All of the positive reports generated by press releases from the Sheriff’s Department have some political friends of Sheriff Patterson riding high on cloud nine, but even though I am sure to be criticized by his re-election machine, I have got questions about the last two busts.
First before I ask the questions, I want to make a few things clear to the readers of Liberty Dispatch. About fifteen years ago I was invited to my first Republican meeting and I discovered that the group of people running the Republican Party in this county back then did not care about running candidates. So for fifteen years I have worked with whoever would work with me to make democracy work by restoring a two party system. I believed, along with others, that the lack of competition had created an environment ripe for corruption in our local government. It never has been a personal vendetta and I have received far more criticism than I have given.
I have been invited to write my opinion on here and appreciate that anyone would even care what it is, but in some ways I am no different than any of the conservatives expressing opinions in the media. My opinion is my opinion and what anyone else says is their opinion.
I know Sheriff Henry Patterson and since I have been invited to express my political opinion on this website, I am not bashful to express my opinion of the job Henry is doing as Sheriff and the Sheriff’s race . As I have said before I even like Henry, but he is holding an elected position and I believe and hope there will be a better candidate running for sheriff in this next election cycle. As I have written before part of my criticism of Henry is that he has allowed these people called the Outsiders to have far too much influence in the department my tax dollars pay for. But there is much much more to criticize.
Let’s take the recent marijuana busts. At first I cheered news that large pot fields had been discovered and would be destroyed. I never spent a second thinking about how much credit the Sheriff should get for the department following up on tips and seizing all of the illegal plants. I knew it was an election year and that Henry had a bunch of people that were for him last time that would like to see him replaced this time, but I just figured this kind of timely busts is one of the advantages of incumbency.
I thought these busts were a feather in Sheriff Patterson’s cap until a friend in law enforcement pointed out what should have happened. If Henry’s public relations people want to give him credit for arresting a whole field of pot plants, then he should also get credit for allowing a whole gang of pot growing dope dealers to escape arrests.
If Henry Patterson’s people want to send press releases out detailing how they protected the plants throughout the night that is fine. I salute our sheriff’s department and the work they do. But I don’t know why voters would return Henry Patterson to office because his men followed tips and found all of this pot and then Henry failed to set up a situation so everyone involved in this operation would be arrested.
Why didn’t Henry set up cameras and arrest the dope dealers (along with the dope)? It appears these tips were looked at in terms of political gain rather than in terms of what law enforcement elsewhere regularly does with a case like this. Did we not want to catch the criminals?
I like you Henry, but I believe we have to do better than this or the criminals win.
Richard Pegues
Contributor
24 comments:
When I heard this story it didn't sound quite right. Now I realize whoever was calling the shots were satisfied with confiscating millions of dollars worth of pot without making much effort to arrest the growers. Of coure,now they will just plant more pot.
Barney must have gotten nervous and wanted to load the pot up before the bad people showed up. Maybe next time Andy should call the shots if Henry, I mean Barney doesn't want to mess with the criminals involved.
Some people are never satisfied. What the hell does Pegues know about police work? Why don't you shut your big fat Republican mouth!
Both of tehse cases were mishandled and it wasn't by the deputies or the fire department. Patterson's hands off approach to leadership helped to screw this up.
I just betcha we are going to hear about some of the most dramatic arrests in Liberty County history until after the election.
I don't always agree with you but I resoect the fact that you call it like you see it. I agree with you on this one.
Who cares what you say? Who reads this website anyway? You people can say what you want to about The Outsiders but they bring a fresh perspective and a new energy to fighting corruption in this county.
Henry Patterson should have to appear before our public officials and confirm or deny his relationship to these people. If they were investigating people without PI license or if they were investigating for the sheriff without probale cause we have a big problem. Patterson should be put on record.
I can not imagine any Tea Party people being sucked in with this sales pitch that it will take people that aren't from Liberty County to change the county. Voters have made huge changes just recently. We are not desperate enough to turn to people like these.
I think we have may all have a working definition and accurate description we can agree on. "The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered ABNORMAL or BIZZARE."
Hey LD I like this definition better since th outsider people are big on redefining terms used to describe them. A cult is a relatively small group of people having beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister.
Maybe the sheriff tipped off the thugs so they could clear the scene before his deputies arrived.
I find it aweful coincidental that Henry Patterson' hit team in charge of pushing voters to re-elect him seem to find fault with whoever it is running against their people. Theyn have suggetsed these opponents run for another office. I guess that would make them faultless again.
The feds wouldn't let Liberty County DA Mike Little or his sidekick corrupt Texas ranger frank huff be involved in either of the recent large marijuana drug bust at all- telling isn't it...?
1. They either believed he was involved in the pot growing operations.
2. They believed he could be bought off.
3. They believed he is incompetent to investigate and prosecute.
My bet is that it is all three.
Just saying...
People from outside the county fighting our crime for us and then doing us the favor of putting their people in office ....hmmmmmm.
It does sound like their IS some psychological projection going on. This psychological defense mechanism where a person subconsciously denies his or her own attributes, motives, and emotions, which are then ascribed to the others. An example of this behavior might be BLAMING ANOTHER FOR SELF FAILURE.
Barney must have gotten nervous and wanted to load the pot up before the bad people showed up. Maybe next time Andy should call the shits Henry, I mean Barney doesn't want to mess with the criminals involved.
Another huge patch of pot grown right under ranger frank huff's nose. Hmmmmmm
Yes Im struck with the timing of Fotzgerald's mess getting cleaned up at the same time three big bust are made. Rare stuff all at the same time.
NEWSFLASH: LC Commissioners only have a week to come up with a plan to burn several million!!!
(well that's a cinch. Just re-elect Little, Hinch, Hight, Hunt, Fitz and Groce!! THEY'll take all that filthy, dirty MONEY off your hands...)
http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/cleveland/news/commissioners-looking-for-ways-to-spend-million-in-federal-money/article_3b21ee9a-f12c-5aef-8201-ee89be728323.html
ah, yes, lambs to the slaughter!
Deja vu!
............ Like a car with dope can be taken by law enforcement and so can property. Seemed like this was a re-election trick, by Patterson's Hinch men, evans and guthrie. Mexican Cartel/Santa Claus, i bought believe in. Good article and very sensible to me. Thanks!
Any word whether they are going to start storing marijuana in the old Wal-Mart building and put armed guards around it?
armed guards around it? Nope, same as where they found it: just illegals with a sensor system. HA
Henry worked specifically as a narcotics officer for years and years. He knew exactly what he was doing when he let the "growers" get away with their crimes. All this was were desperate acts by Henry Patterson to get media attention in an election.
He and his criminal "outsiders" can get lost.
can't have decades of future drug dealer busts (with media headlines and resulting PR,) if you go disrupting the supply chain. Henry, what were you thinking? Were you trying to disrupt the bread and butter of every law enforcement agency? lol
Besides, ("former" democrap) those were GREEN businesses! lmao
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