DEPUTY UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR ASSAULT4.MAY.09
A Newberry County Sheriff's Deputy has been placed on Paid Administrative Leave pending the results of an investigation of a domestic dispute between he and his stepson. The deputy was not on duty at the time of the alleged incident. An incident report on file with the Whitmire Police Department says that officers from the Whitmire Police Department were called to Wallace Thompson Hospital just after 8:30PM last Monday night (April 27). The paternal step-grandmother of the juvenile alleged that the child's stepfather, a deputy with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, assaulted the boy prior to school that morning. According to the Newberry County Sheriff's Office, the deputy, who was identified as Ezra Arnold, has been employed with the Newberry County Sheriff's Office since August of 1999 and currently holds the rank of Sergeant and is assigned to the uniform patrol division. The State Law Enforcement Division and the South Carolina Department of Social Services are both conducting investigations into the incident. Arnold was placed on Administrative Leave with pay last Tuesday (April 28) pending the preliminary report from SLED. The report could be available as early as this week. [LINK]
The (but not charge?) part of the title concerns me. I do believe someone is innocent until proven guilty & sufficient evidence is required before you can charge someone of a crime. This officer is only being put in the spotlight because of his affiliation with law enforcement. Instead of supporting our officers who put their life on the line we jump & turn our backs on them at the first accusation of wrong doing. If he were just an average joe no one would have even acknowledge this incident. The media is getting a one-sided story provided by the step-son's step-grandmother who has consistently lashed out at the step-father over the past 12 years. For those who have decided to judge before gathering the facts, you should know the step-son first tried to push the step-father off the steps before the step-father restrained him. It is nice to have CDV support groups, however, people need to remember not everyone accused of a crime is guilty. To the media: you are catering to slanderous accusations that have the potential to destroy a man's life & the lives of his younger children. How would you feel if someone called your local t.v. station & accused you of a crime. Then everyone you know sees your face on the evening news & the front page of the paper. I would like to think our society has more since than to jump to conclusions, but my faith is quickly fading.
ReplyDeleteOh, poor you.
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