Former Whitley County Sheriff Gets 186 Months

Former Whitley County Sheriff Gets 186 Months

www.atf.gov

LONDON, Ky. — Former Whitley County Sheriff Lawrence Hodge was sentenced today to 186 months in federal prison for his involvement in numerous illegal activities during his tenure as Sheriff.

Hodge, 51, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to charges of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right, conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Hodge admitted that on at least three separate occasions between 2004 and 2007, he conspired with Williamsburg Defense Attorney Ron Reynolds to extort money from individuals that the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department charged with felony drug trafficking offenses. Specifically, Hodge referred criminal defendants to Reynolds for representation.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I've noticed a trend towards any corruption getting nailed lately.

This current news story is just one in a long, long list.

Makes you wonder if there isn't a major clean-up under way.

Or if perhaps the Government is just advertising it more.

Through more thorough press releases.

Or are they just cleaning house before the real corruption begins?

www.atf.gov
(visit the link for the full news article)

Damn, nice find! Drug dealing, extortion and money laundering? "...admitted that on at least three separate occasions..." probably meaning many more, in reality. I guess they had to wait for him to leave office as it looks much better when you bust ex-cops... ahem!

Ah well, now he has some time to reflect on things and bend over to retrieve his bar of soap in the local law-enforcement friendly incarceration facility's shower room.

I wonder how well the new Sheriff is doing.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


The former sheriff got caught.....and now 15 1/2 years in prison....he will get out....if he survives.....I have noticed too a trend for a lot of investigations into the law enforcers....but also now is another trend.....

Yesterday...I went with a friend for moral support....(she is going through a rough time)....and right now she is getting help with food (through the state) with an EBT card....and she was told by the worker that signed her up...that TPTB are really cracking down on misuses of the EBT card.

Apparently people are going into certain areas of town and letting other people use their EBT food cards. Here is what they do...lets say on the card is $120.00 food credit...the person who has the card...will receive $60.00 cash...by the person using the card. A woman in Chinatown got caught doing this.....and she got 25 years prison time.

People better be careful.....there are a lot of undercover law enforcement persons....posing as..........a lot of things they are not....this is how they are catching people.

I suppose there are times when even those who are known to be corrupt can longer be put to any use by the system.

The sad part is the corrupt folks responsible for the really obscene transgressions which tip the scales towards tens and hundreds of millions rarely see the inside of a courthouse. But then, those folks are usually providers of capital for the political machinery which drives prosecutions... so it kind of makes sense.

I have a problem with the light sentence.

If a citizen kills a cop it's automatic 1st degree murder, no matter what the circumstances around the death are. So I think it's only fair to hold them to a higher standard since they get treated differently than civilians.

In an officer involved shooting the LEO is usually the person with the most training on the use of deadly force. Yet when they screw up and shoot when they shouldn't have, the courts go very easy on them.

It's a double standard and it only serves to further the gap between LEO's/public officials and ordinary citizens.

As more and more municipalities push the envelope on their infringement of civil liberties, and realize that nothing happens, those liberties erode at a faster rate.

Quarzite Arizona, Antelope Valley in California, and the numerous cases of the government seizing private land for corporate needs act as reinforcement for more and more bad behavior.


I've read quite a bit about communism, and as crazy as it sounds to those that know me, it's not a bad concept. But what makes communism fail time and again is the greed of individuals. Stalin did not envision a party of priveledge at the expense of the people, his ultimate goal was the exact opposite of what Russia became. He used brutal means to instill communism on his people, but true believers like Stalin consider that the price. Much like liberty needing to be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It's why communism will never work, and why liberty won't work if we don't hold those charged with upholding the law to a higher standard, as my mom always said, they should know better.

In the end it always people who mess it up, and when you betray the public trust there should be stiff consequences.

I hope that idiot of a police chief in Quartzside gets the same sentence.

Originally posted by LightSpeedDriver
Damn, nice find! Drug dealing, extortion and money laundering?

"...admitted that on at least three separate occasions..." probably meaning many more, in reality. I guess they had to wait for him to leave office as it looks much better when you bust ex-cops... ahem!

Ah well, now he has some time to reflect on things and bend over to retrieve his bar of soap in the local law-enforcement friendly incarceration facility's shower room.

I wonder how well the new Sheriff is doing.

Again, this is one of many such stories I've been seeing, in the last year.

I rarely post them because so few people bother reading them.

Nothing to do with me.

Guess people do not want to see the positives in Government anymore.

Speaking of the former Sheriff actually being arrested.

Not that he was corrupt.

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas


I've noticed a trend towards any corruption getting nailed lately.

This current news story is just one in a long, long list.

Makes you wonder if there isn't a major clean-up under way.

)

You're kidding right. Our stinking govt is only gonna get more corrupt. Every congressman and judge is taking bribes.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


Good to see that cops are being held accountable for abusing their authority, but I was honestly hoping to see a cop involved in police brutality being jailed. You don't hear about that too often...

Originally posted by caladonea
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

The former sheriff got caught.....and now 15 1/2 years in prison....he will get out....if he survives.....I have noticed too a trend for a lot of investigations into the law enforcers....but also now is another trend.....

Yesterday...I went with a friend for moral support....(she is going through a rough time)....and right now she is getting help with food (through the state) with an EBT card....and she was told by the worker that signed her up...that TPTB are really cracking down on misuses of the EBT card.

Apparently people are going into certain areas of town and letting other people use their EBT food cards. Here is what they do...lets say on the card is $120.00 food credit...the person who has the card...will receive $60.00 cash...by the person using the card. A woman in Chinatown got caught doing this.....and she got 25 years prison time.

People better be careful.....there are a lot of undercover law enforcement persons....posing as..........a lot of things they are not....this is how they are catching people.

Sickening.

When I was working in a convenience store people would piss me off.

They would buy crap loads of stuff with E.B.T. cards.

Then when it came to alcohol and cigarettes they would whip out a stack of $100 bills.

I began asking different people questions.

The vast majority of them said they had jobs under the table.

In order to bypass the system and abuse it.

Unfortunately, none of the corporations want to "police" themselves, on E.B.T.

They would for alcohol and cigarettes.

But only due to Law Enforcement sending in Undercover "teens".

Each and every time I sold alcohol and cigarettes I'd ID people under 30.

They got pissed.

I told them I wasn't spending time in a prison cell with Bubba.

When they looked at me strange?

I'd tell them I'd make Bubba my b***ch. (self-censored).

Meaning I'm not going to jail because of selling them stuff they're not allowed.

The problem is that Undercover Law Enforcement or Undercover Agents are easy to spot.

They never get trained in how to appear normal.

Or they do and they don't take that seriously.

Countless times I'd say nice to meet you officer.

Originally posted by Maxmars
I suppose there are times when even those who are known to be corrupt can longer be put to any use by the system.

The sad part is the corrupt folks responsible for the really obscene transgressions which tip the scales towards tens and hundreds of millions rarely see the inside of a courthouse. But then, those folks are usually providers of capital for the political machinery which drives prosecutions... so it kind of makes sense.

I don't personally think corrupt people should be put to any use other than breaking rocks.

If we're discussing spies and turning them against their master that is different.

Like during WWII and the Double-XX Program.

But Senators, Congress persons, and President's?

Send them to prison with a zero tolerance policy.

Unfortunately, those people who should be sending them to prison are skewed themselves, apparently.

They will use that person to gain more funding thereby further corrupting the system.

And through that they make the waters of Government even murkier.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas


Good. And that's not an easy, "no big deal" sentence either.

reply to post by AGWskeptic


Agreed.

It is a double standard.

Unfortunately that is not likely to change anytime soon.

Then again few people know there is a system of hidden laws.

That are not on any books we as citizens see.

Originally posted by Helious
I hope that idiot of a police chief in Quartzside gets the same sentence.

Got a link?

I have no problem with people sharing links.

As long as you tie it to the original story.

In this case it would be under Law Enforcement.

Originally posted by Make Speed Limit 45

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas


I've noticed a trend towards any corruption getting nailed lately.

This current news story is just one in a long, long list.

Makes you wonder if there isn't a major clean-up under way.

)

You're kidding right. Our stinking govt is only gonna get more corrupt. Every congressman and judge is taking bribes.

Depends upon perspective, intent, and who's doing it I suppose.

Government is nothing more than a functionary unit meant to serve a purpose.

"Government" cannot be "corrupt".

It is the people within it who are or are not corrupt.

Those people are the ones who chose what to enforce.

Originally posted by TupacShakur
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

Good to see that cops are being held accountable for abusing their authority, but I was honestly hoping to see a cop involved in police brutality being jailed. You don't hear about that too often...

edit on 29-9-2011 by TupacShakur because: To edit my post

I highly doubt you ever will see or hear that.

It's just not seen as an abuse of power.

And yes, being held accountable, finally.

reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

Indeed, I also think "The System" works well enough, its just the people who are working it and using it for their own evil ends that are wrong. If I was to change the world in 1 day, I would leave the system, or at least large parts of it, intact. I would remove all those manning various high placed positions though. Congress would all need to look for new jobs, for example. Listen to me. I don't understand much about the US political system but I saw an ATS thread on how many Congress persons were billionaires.... yeah. Time to stop that kind of extreme silliness.

Originally posted by Resonant
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

Good. And that's not an easy, "no big deal" sentence either.

15 years is nothing to sneeze at if he actually does that time.

Usually time is taken off for good behavior.

We're lucky if they serve 2/3's of their sentence.

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas

Originally posted by Resonant
reply to post by SpartanKingLeonidas

 

Good. And that's not an easy, "no big deal" sentence either.

15 years is nothing to sneeze at if he actually does that time.

Usually time is taken off for good behavior.

We're lucky if they serve 2/3's of their sentence.

True, but it's not like he was sentenced for three years then put on house arrest or probation, which seems to happen with a lot of "untouchables", law enforcement usually being one of them.