Viewer comments about Sheriff Hewett suspension

Hey,
I just heard that there are about 15 names in the running to replace Sheriff Hewett. Does anyone know who these names are? If I were a betting person (I'm not), I am sure that some of those names are of people that Sheriff Hewett ticked off or possibly some of who betrayed him.
If anyone knows of who wants to replace Sheriff Hewett, please post them. The public has a right to know.

Jesus Sarcalogos, lux lucis of orbis terrarum...

Yeah; there's nothing quite like one of these Brunswick County $250K homes. In fact I live in one. I bought it at $40K in '82, AND it still looks like it's worth no more than the $40K I paid for it back then!!! BUT according to the BRUNSWICK COUNTY tax books, it is a $250K home NOW. Perhaps someone needs to investigate the revenooers.

First of all, let me say, I AM NOT A SUPPORTER OR FAN OF RONALD HEWETT. Secondly, let me say that I feel he has done wrong. However, you do the math... He and his wife BOTH work, and I believe he makes around 75,000 per year. I have no ideal how much his wife makes working at ATMC. Even if it is $40,000 per year, that would be $115,000 per year OR $9,583.00 per month. A 30 year mortgage on a $250,000 home at 6.5% interest rate would be $1,580. I believe this home is well within his means. If they are making $9500 a month, I believe they can afford a $1,500 a month mortgage!! Come on now...before you post stupid comments, you do the math!

Hey not throwing the first stone....... he ran for sheriff , he wanted the job. If he couldn't handle it,he should have stepped down.

Did you read the entire story?, He was intoxicated on the job too, which means county time.

I totally agree with this person conment!

My heart goes out to the honest law enforcement officers who work so hard and lay their life on the line for us citizens 24/7. A bad apple comes along and it puts a cloud of doubt and suspicion over them all. It is not fair but these good men and women in uniform have to live with that every day.

In the Hewett case, a strong message needs to be sent that there is a zero tolerance for breaking the law by law enforcement! This is not only good for the citizens but it is good for honest law enforcement officers.

At the same time the powers to be at the state, county, and/or municipal levels that turn a blind eye to corruption need to be removed also!

Take a look around without your pro Hewett blinders on and you will find it hard not to see that DRUGS are STILL everywhere in this county. And a wise person once said, majority of people will never remember what you have done right, they will remember what you do wrong first. In the end integrity is the focus here, knowing what he had done, because he was the one doing it, he should have gracefully stepped down. He should have thought of the county he "loves" so much and done the citizens of Brunswick Co. some real justice, and walked away. The fact that he knew what was coming and still clung to his office just shows he does not care about the county, he is merely out for himself.

Excuse me, when someone breaks the law, the citizens don't get to vote whether they are guilty or not. We leave that up to the courts

We citizens DO get to vote whether he is guilty or not, it is called a jury. :)

I know a lot of people who hid their heads in the sand in 1983 when we had several law enforcement officers sent to prison. No one could believe it was happening, but it did. As a victim of a violent crime I can tell you how your perfect sheriff works. He sees me in public and ask if he can do anything to help me. I tell him what I need repeatly and he never acts on it. I call his office and he will not take my call. Ronald Hewett is a politican and nothing else. He does what makes him look good in public and does nothig for you at all. Other than knowledge of how he treat victims of crime I can't commit on him. I am aware that at one time he was a wonderful officer and person, but he changed. It is indeed a sad time for our county and for law enforcement, but instead of cheering on the sheriff how about thanking the officers that were brave enough to take a stand against wrong. Oh, and by all means, lets thank our District Attorney, Rex Gore, who refused to put his head in the sand.

Are you deaf. Listen to the recordings of your fine sheriff. Does he sound innocent to YOU?

Know the law before you speak! I think only one person has to know it was being recorded. I am sure that one of them did.

Laws are written by lawyers and politicians in such a way that only lawyers and judges can interpret them, so they can keep the power and control over we the people. Even they (lawyers, judges and politicians) don't really understand them. We the people don't have a clue and thats the way this system of government wants it. Keep em Dependant, Defendants and dumb.

Our system of government is so bogged down in bureaucratic B.S. it's no surprise that this country is on the rapid decline.

Respect, is this what you give someone who had done what he has done. Rediculous doesn't even come close to discribing your comment. One must earn respect. Do you think he showed respect for his citizens and his co workers by his illegal actions. How utterly stup** can you be.

I am a supporter of Ronald and I am not stupid, however when you tell people that they are and to get educated, please make sure you spell your words correctly. Who really needs the education? This is exactly why you shouldn't point fingers and call names. Get hooked on phonics please and not message boards.

So you support him spending YOUR tax dollars on personal stuff? (Do you even work and pay taxes??) You support him abusing his power? Will you support him if and when he is convicted of tampering with evidence? If so,....WOW!!!...

Number 1 OKI Girl, it is not illegal to record someone as long as one of the parties involved in this case the recorder is aware of it. This should be allowed in court. Secondly, the deputies "serve at the pleasure of the Sheriff" this means that if the Sheriff doesn't like the way you look at him, YOU ARE GONE! no ifs, ands or buts. GONE! It took a lot of courage and I mean courage with a capital C to take a collective stand and do the right thing. You must either be related to or intimately connected to Mr. Hewitt. Yes, by the constitution the fourteenth amendment we are afforded the right of "Due process" and by the deputies taking a stand they are protected by the "whistle blower act". He will be able to stand before his accusers. He will have representation, the courageous deputies that stepped up to the plate do not have the same given to them as in the fourteenth amendment. In answering your question "why do this now?" how would you like to ruled in YOUR job by intimidation and fear? That is what they were subjected to. He put on a great front in the public eye, and literally sat up the media to make his grand entrance in such a manner that made him in his mind top Elliot Ness. You within your right mind do not pay while on the clock with tax payers money deputies to clean and repair campaign signs and make them contribute monies to your re-election fund, landscape, move, buy alcohol or order them to attend functions on their time off. Not to mention what was he thinking in giving his son a badge and county sheriff's dept. vehicle to while he was underage? All of these things were done under fear and intimidation of losing their jobs if they did not comply. It is very difficult to get everyone playing on the same team by "narcing" on him to not only walk the walk, but talk the talk. This is America and you have the right to believe what you believe, and state an opinion freely and openly without repercussions, they did not. You need to do some homework on the statistics of the turn-over rate. Everytime someone got fired they had to be replaced with another for lack of a better term "whipping boy", which I might add is costly to train. This self-righteous little man has cost us a bundle in man-power and with the potential liability of monumental proportions. So, while you have your "little I love Ronald affair" going on think about what I just stated because this is the tip of the ice burg. And I quite frankly do not want this potential walking liability representing this County.

It is also a fact that no legislation can protect them from the consequences of their own actions...the scorn of the community, the distrust of law enforcement generated by their actions, ostracism by anyone with real standards and morals, and perhaps a skeleton or two falling out of their closets. I personally could bring charges of neglect of duty and willful obstruction against one of them. He is an insult to his uniform and never should have been hired to begin with. You seem to know a lot...so tell us Ms. Dryer, how can those tapes be evidence in court and at the same time aired on every major media outlet? How can he get a fair trial when so many of the citizenry have been prejudiced by those excerpts published in the newspaper. I think it could sure help the Sheriff's case a lot if the charges had to be dismissed for lack of evidence.

You took the words right out of my mouth ! of course these deputies are not going to say anything wrong on these tapes they are the only ones that know it is being recorded . Cops do bug one another and they have been for years. That is 1 reason Ronald may have sounded paranoid on the tapes he knew they did things like this and he didn't know how he could trust.

First of all you need to make sure that you can spell! It is Hewett not Hewitt. Secondly, who cares if he goes to a nudist beach if his wife does not care then why should you? Is it perhaps that you wish you could go to one? He has a personal life just like everyone else does. Who are you to dictate what he should and should not be doing? Hmm.... What is the big deal with him drinking? It could be worse. I never once saw him drunk in public. Have you?Even if he was was he on duty? How do you know that he has had his hand in with the drug dealers? Are you one? Do you have proof? If not then I would suggest not slandering him.He is good guy with a couple of downfalls and I believe this will pass. Know this he has my support and I would vote for him again!

He is the High Sheriff and if he was drinking or not, He is always on duty he is the Sheriff. And yes I agree he is a good guy and I would vote for him again, but he is always on duty as the Sheriff, I can't agree with that part.

I think that you are either on drugs yourself or incredibly nieve. Brunswick County is INFESTED WITH DRUGS part of which mr. hewett himself dealt with. Get educated.

I hope you aren't judged by the same measure you have judged him because as bitter and maladjusted as you sound, you're the one who should be on suicide watch. Ron Hewett also says on those notorious tapes where his "brave" deputies "led" him to say much of what he says that he has done NOTHING. He hasn't accepted bribes, has a mortage, and doesn't know the FOCUS of the G Jury investigation. These tapes document clearly for me the confusion and frustration he was experiencing. He states repeatedly his frustration that his employees won't return his calls and Kevin Holden tells him what he was told by the Grand Jury...listen again. So I guess we hear what we want to hear and I certainly want to believe in this man. He cleaned up this county and brought respect back to law enforcement which had previously been a sterotypical joke of corruption and greed. Before you gloat too loudly, better wait till he has his day in court. These tapes strongly suggest entrapment and you never know, he may have some surprising evidence himself that sheds new light on the questionable actions of these Judases.

The deputies that have come forward are courageous and are to be commended. Some people still do not understand that the high sheriff's in this country have the right to "fire at will", with no explanation or cause. These deputies have families and obligations just like the rest of us but not the many protections that many enjoy. When you work for a sheriff, you are acutely aware that YOU MAY BE FIRED ANY TIME IT SIMPLY PLEASES THAT SHERRIF!

At the same time Ronald was ordering DWI checkpoints in one part of the county he was cruising to crime scenes in another part of the county intoxicated! While that is only one of the many, many allegations against him, that alone is cause for his removal.

It seems the long arm of the law has reached in it's own pocket and is now going to clean that pocket out!

Now it is time for the city of Boiling Spring Lakes to take a look at their own. According to news reports from Mt. Olive, NC, former Mt. Olive police chief and current BSL chief, Ballree was accused of using the Mt. Olive credit card to put gas in his son's personal vehicle. The same reports state that there is a video of that occurrence. Rather than face the allegations Ballree resigned, in disgrace. Now, he is a Chief again in BSL. How can this be? Further, while I have not witnessed it myself, several BSL residents claim to have seen Ballree driving his family in his police car. I guess the lesson here is, don't use the town credit card for fueling a personal vehicle, just use the town car for personal use!

If the town leadership in BSL is going to turn a blind eye to this I hope the "free press" will look into it. The citizens of BSL, like the citizens of Brunswick County deserve more and better! Also, the citizens like the deputies have fears of reprisals if they come forward. Complaining to those that hired him just does not seem like a good option. It seems that wold just get you targeted!

How about it WWAY, is this not worth looking in to. As long as there are unanswered questions there is a cloud over Chief Ballree and therefore the department, town, and citizens. The best scenario would be for Ballree to fully face the scrutiny of an impartial investigation. Then if he is exonerated it removes the cloud over his head and gives the BSL citizens cause for pride in him and the department. The lesser would be to find he is guilty of the allegations but with that find, the town could take the necessary steps to clean it up. The worst is to continue the blind eye and have the cloud of doubt forever hang over the city.

So if your boss ask you to committ a crime you would!!! BS lets remeber this is america and you can Quite at will you are just firing with blanks, I see through all of you