Viewer comments about Sheriff Hewett suspension

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.

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.

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!

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.

Give me a break! How nieve can you be.

The man's misdeads have finally caught up to him. If anyone is naive enough to defend him at this point that's up to them. The evidence speaks for itself. The murders, drug deals, extortion, all of it will come to light soon enough. Brunswick county is now safer thanks to those deputies.

A better place because of him???This coming from an ex?Drug dealer. Who in their right mind takes a 17 yr. old into a barricaded home after kicking in the door?? What a woderful shriff he was.....Hope there aren't too many out there with your mind set--Masterplasterer. Did you and Hewitt get plastered together or something?