Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones, whose jurisdiction is roughly 45 minutes away from where the Dayton mass shooting occurred, continues to “shame” a political opponent for her response to the tragedy.
Sheriffs are generally sworn to uphold the Constitution, as opposed to police departments, which are charged with enforcing the law.
The Ohio Star reported Tuesday that State Rep. Candice Keller (R-Middletown) faced backlash and even calls to resign from within her own party after saying “the breakdown of the traditional American family” is to blame for mass shootings.
Ohio’s mainstream media quickly picked up the outcry surrounding her comments, and several articles were shared by Jones on his official Twitter page.
The Ohio Star confirmed Wednesday that Keller has received death threats in response to her comments, two of which were substantiated while 15 others were being investigated. Dan Lay, the sergeant at arms for the Ohio House, confirmed with The Ohio Star that there were “threats” and “very dangerous remarks” directed at Keller.
She was encouraged to keep a low profile for the time being.
Sheriff Jones, however, continues to tweet about Keller and demand her resignation.
“Shame shame shame Candice Keller,” he initially wrote on Twitter. “Candice Keller should resign at once. Shame shame,” he wrote again a day later.
He’s retweeted dozens of comments from Ohio politicians calling for Keller’s resignation or an ethics investigation into her conduct.
Keller lives in Middletown, which is in Butler County, and she’s running for State Senate against Rep. George Lang (R-West Chester), whom Jones has publicly endorsed in the past.
According to a “Code of Ethics” for the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, its employees are asked to “never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence my decisions.”
Jones, an elected official, is currently in his fourth term as Butler County’s sheriff and easily won his bid to serve another four-year term in 2016. Under Ohio law, only an “elective officer of a municipal corporation may be removed” by a recall, and only after the first year of that term has begun. There’s technically no recall process for a sheriff, sources explained to the The Ohio Star.
Some have started to respond to Jones’ comments on Twitter and are calling them “harassment.”
“This is harassment! Why would you keep tweeting about this? We all know it’s a personal vendetta! You are the one causing the problem and have put her in danger with this fake outrage,” said one Ohio-based follower.
THIS IS HARRASSMENT!!! Why would you keep tweeting about this? We all know it's a personal vendetta! YOU are the one causing the problem & have put her in danger with this fake outrage!! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER!!! #IStandWithCandiceKeller
— Kim Justice 🇺🇸⭐🇺🇸 (@kimjustice62) August 7, 2019
“The sheriff is the one that should be stepping down. Last I checked, we are entitled to an opinion wether [sic] an elected official or not but there comes a time when it looks like harassment,” said another.
@JaneyMurph The Sheriff is the one that should be stepping down. Last I checked, we are entitled to an opinion wether an elected official or not but there comes a time when it looks like harassment.
— Jeremiah 29:11 (@watchman100976) August 7, 2019
“Why as sheriff would you continue to put someone’s life in danger?” yet another replied to Jones.
Why as Sheriff would you continue to put someone's life in danger? Why would you call her guilty but not call George Lang guilty with the Dynus scandal? Swamp needs drained!
— Kristi Brashear (@BrashearKristi) August 7, 2019
Jones spoke briefly with The Ohio Star this week about his criticisms of Keller and said that “this isn’t the first time she’s made these terrible, horrific comments about people.”
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Richard Jones” by Richard Jones. Background Photo “Butler County Sherriff Vehicles” by Butler County Sherriff’s Office.
[…] hers blaming mass shootings on the “breakdown of the traditional American family” went viral. The Ohio Star confirmed that two of the threats on her life were substantiated while 15 others were being […]
[…] hers blaming mass shootings on the “breakdown of the traditional American family” went viral. The Ohio Star confirmed that two of the threats on her life were substantiated while 15 others were being […]
Wow! I am just stunned that a LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, a SHERIFF at that, is undermining an individual for her political views and that is just what this man has done. You should be upholding her rights and affording her protection without causing any fear or showing any favor. There are limitations that come with your office, Sheriff, and you have crossed those lines. I’ve read where this woman has received over a dozen serious death threats. I sure hope that FBI or some other law enforcement agency is investigating them, because If I were in her position I sure as heck wouldn’t trust this Sheriff to perform his duty and protect me. This Sheriff should resign. That being said, I am equally disgusted that he is a member of the Republican Party. He is perfect example of what is wrong with the Republican Party today, Rhinos who take their cues from the other side and cave into pressure. No one needs your public pontificating. It’s appears to be for self-aggrandizement anyway. If you truly felt that way, you should have gone to her in private and could have stated the same. Did you even do that? Again, this Sheriff coming out continually publicly shaming this woman should should step down from his position and permit a responsible person to assume the position for the protection of public
safety and the rights of all persons.
Keller is right. The problem with society today is the breakdown of traditional family, and the lack of God in our lives. We never had these problems when I was growing up. Some students had guns in their vehicles. They were even displayed in the back window of their truck. They would go hunting after school. Some schools even had shooting teams. Liberal indoctrination, of kids in our schools, has contributed to the problem. Also, removing God from our schools, in 1963, is what has led us down this path of destruction.