“The president of the United States, Bill Clinton, went to the American people and lied on camera and to the United States Congress,” the former Davidson County sheriff said Thursday. “I stood up and said, ‘Look, on the two counts of obstruction of justice, I plead guilty, and I made mistakes, and I should pay for my mistakes.’
“I have filled every obligation,” Hege added. “You can spank the dog and that’s punishment, but if you continue to beat him every day, that’s brutality. How long do you want a man to suffer? The people of North Carolina say if he’s done his deed and pays his dues to society, he can run again. That’s pretty simple.”
Under state and federal law, Hege can not carry a gun even if he is re-elected as sheriff, because he is a convicted felon.
“Every law enforcement officer who has been killed in the last 50 years all had a weapon,” Hege said. “There has been many documented cases where I have been on calls and raids and didn’t have a firearm. You have 200 deputies at your disposal ... It’s not necessary for me to carry a gun. If I can find your daughter, missing grandchild or mother with Alzheimer’s in the woods, you’re not going to be concerned if I have a firearm.”
While sheriff, Hege painted the cell walls pink and removed television sets and books from the county jail. Prisoners wore color-coordinated jumpsuits to identify their offense, while deputies wore combat boots. If elected again as sheriff, Hege, who received national attention for his unusual methods, leading to a starring role on a national reality television show on Court TV, said he would make immediate changes, such as painting the walls pink and removing the television sets.
“I know the newspapers and the TV, they all talk about the bad stuff,” Hege said. “You’ve got to remember, there is a whole list of good things ... We were checking on about 150 elderly people every single day, seven days a week. We had the first full-time drug interdiction team in North Carolina, talking about 24-7.”
Hege also points to the time under his watch when the Ku Klux Klan “went on national TV and turned in their uniforms into the sheriff,” which he said was “the first time in the United States” that’s happened.
dignasiak@hpe.com | 888-3657
Drugs gone !
Home invasions reduced!
Then when a door is kicked in IT WILL BE TEAM 101 (not home invasions)with a nice set of bracelets for the sex offenders,drug lords,........................................................................................