Courthouse Cow Dung Display
It is time to disinfect
Columbia County, FL (Posted Sept 02, 2010 10:45 am)
Sheriff Mark Hunter has now defined himself as another in the line of Columbia County "Good Old Boy" Sheriffs in a county that has chosen time and time again to put the law in the back seat of good old boy cronyism.
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Last week's Cow Dung Display at the entrance to the Court House was considered distasteful by everyone the Observer has spoken with and no one can understand why the display featuring five feet of cow dung and mock tomb stones was allowed to remain at the Columbia County Court House entrance for half a day.
In a court house that is generally run in secret; that refuses to post its daily court dockets so that they are readily available to the public, that charges for court calendars and has in the past had court personnel not knowing if the public was allowed to see the felony calendar; a court that gave away $13,000 worth of law books in a secret auction for $500 to a judge's son, it is surely not surprising that the highest echelon of those working in the Columbia County Court House, Judges and the Clerk of the Court, or high placed Sheriff's Deputies were not offended, or offended enough, to see that the mound of cow dung and mock graves were removed from the premises of Columbia County's hall of justice.
Speaking up against the offensive puts one on the fast track to oblivion
Of course, those who were offended have learned a long time ago that in Columbia County, speaking up against the offensive puts one on the fast track to oblivion.
One can only wonder if the same "Court House Royalty" would have been offended, if they had come to work and found the word "Nigger" or "Jew", a Swastika or a burning cross or five feet of dog crap spread in the same spot as the five feet of cow dung and paraphernalia, which included the tomb stone of a former director of Habitat for Humanity, a mother and daughter of Columbia County, whose only crime appears to have been asking a few questions of the Columbia County elite.
It appears that in Columbia County, defacing public property is only a crime if the face of the defacer is not on the approved list.
Does the Sheriff know who did this? Most folks in the know think he does or at the very least, has a really good idea. One can only wonder why the Sheriff in the course of one day decided to investigate – then not investigate – then throw the ball into the court of the Lake City Police Department, all the while giving the evidence plenty of time to go missing.
The Governor should take over this investigation.
Sheriff Hunter, who is now in charge of making sure the courthouse video is secure, has shown a prejudice to maintaining the evidence and has demonstrated that he cannot be trusted with any evidence in this case.
The "perps" now must think that they have the insulation of having the evidence gone missing and a Sheriff in their court.
Criminal Mischief, a career ending event if one is a public official and the defacing of government property; the defaming of Barbara Lemley on the Courthouse steps and other disrespects and crimes should not be given a blind eye.
If it is given a blind eye, everyone who knows Columbia County will not be surprised -- nothing new here.
That indeed makes it a sad day in Columbia County and a sad day for everyone who saw Sheriff Hunter grow up and a sad day for the democratic process.
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant."
In Columbia County, it is time to disinfect.