ARRESTS: Up to 24 - and counting

On Jan. 31, a Press article described the pursuit and capture by sheriff’s deputies of a man with 23 prior arrests. He was chased at more than 70 mph in a residential neighborhood. At the time, he had five outstanding warrants. He was pursued for license plate violation but was booked after the chase for felony eluding, obstructing an officer and possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Charges from previous arrests were many and included battery, leaving the scene of an accident, probation violation, theft and attempted strangulation.

Clearly, the sheriff and/or police have been fairly effective in dealing with this guy. They are now up to 24 arrests. It is too bad the same cannot be said for others comprising the judicial system. Who has failed to protect the public from this guy? Has it been the prosecutor? Judges? Probation officers? Someone keeps turning him loose. And why doesn’t The Press report the answers to these questions? This was shallow reporting.

Although the story was interesting, it was not helpful to the public. The only thing the public can do to protect society from people like this is to vote for change. But we cannot vote for change unless we are actually informed of the root problem. Isn’t that the job of the news media? Following this case through the judicial system (naming names) will be a good place to start, then the practice of informative reporting on cases of this kind needs to become the practice.

JOHN McFADDIN

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