Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1994
n
The Sheriff's Department
We should have known it was coming. We ran one letter to the editor praising the work of the Sheriffs office, and the next week we got one complaining about the workings of the office.
When another complaint, not printed, came in this week, we realized there is a lot of misunderstanding about what the sheriffs office can and cannot do that needs to be cleared up.
In the July 27 issue of the Rappahannock News there was a letter from Cory Koral praising the sheriffs office for its success in solving a “drive-by shooting incident.. .at our mailbox.” We assumed readers would connect the letter with a report on the front page that two juveniles had been charged with shooting at Mr. Koral as he got out of his car to pick up his mail. As the paper had reported in the July 20 1 issue, Mr. Koral was hit with a BB which is still in his neck.
Earl Yancey’s letter last week complained that the i sheriff s office seemed to consider shooting a mail box more serious than shooting his sheep indicated that he did not realize the issue was shooting a person.1
But.there is more involved. Mr. Koral was able to give the sheriffs office a description of the vehicle used and most of the license number, something neither Mr. Yancey nor the unfortunate sheep was able to do.
Perhaps the office should have given more attention to the sheep shooting. We’re not sure. But stationing a deputy to note what vehicles traveled the road on a later date during the half hour in the morning when the sheep was shot appears to us to be trying to respond to the complaint.
This week the newspaper received a letter from a mother complaining about inaction from the sheriffs office when her 16-year old daughter ran off with an older man. The mother appeared to believe the man should have been arrested and charged with abduction, kidnapping or statutory rape.
Since the young woman herself said she left willingly with the man there was no chance to charge him with kidnapping or abduction, the sheriff said. Statutory rape in Virginia applies only when the victim is under 15 years old, he added.
The Sheriffs Office needs the cooperation of all lawabiding citizens in the county. While we do not experience the level of violence that exists in many jurisdictions, we have our shard of crimes to be solved.
No useful purpose is served by attacking the sheriff and his deputies for failing to do the impossible.
94.4%