Confidence and trust.
They are essential in any leadership position, but they are critical in a public official.
When they are lost, or considerably shaken, that means something.
And we think that is exactly what has happened at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
We know it is hard to hear, but it is essential that it is said.
Someone needs to talk about it — now — because the accusations and implications of the charges made against the county’s top law enforcement official’s administration are unsettling at best and terrifying at worst.
And like it or not, the buck must stop at the top.
So, let’s talk about it.
Most Wayne County residents are still digesting the shocking indictment released Aug. 30 involving the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. It is hard to read the descriptions in that document from U.S. Attorney Mike Easley Jr. and not sit in stunned silence that something like this could go on in our county.
But before we go any further, we should remind everyone that an indictment is one side of the story, and we do not yet know just exactly what has happened or how far it goes.
It is important to note that there has been no judge, jury, or decision about guilt or innocence, wrongdoing, or bad decision-making — no testimony or adjudication.
In other words, it looks bad — really, really bad — but we still don’t know how deep it goes or how all this went undetected for so many years.
We don’t even know if every one of the government’s assertions can be upheld in a courtroom in front of a jury.
And in a regular blockbuster court case, we might be able to withhold any significant judgment until all the facts come to light in trial.
But this is not a normal case.
This is about law enforcement.
And this is a potential powder keg — not just because of the crimes alleged in that 50-page indictment, but because of the impact a loss of trust in the men and women who keep this community safe will have on the criminals who operate here and the law-abiding citizens who live here.
And there are also innocents who will be hurt in this process — deputies and other Sheriff’s Office employees who strive to do their job fairly and well every day. They don’t deserve to be painted by a broad corruption brush or the fallout on the streets when the anti-law-enforcement lobby gets wind of this one.
It is already hard enough to do their jobs these days in the face of increasing crime and diminishing manpower.
But get ready.
The storm of attacks on “the blue” are going to come.
And so, too, will the lawsuits from formerly convicted felons challenging their arrests.
So if even a bit of this is true, that a former head of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit was able to shelter two known drug dealers and then buy from one of them — all the while seemingly able to get them both out of trouble even when one of them was involved in a violent home invasion and an attempted murder, we have a serious problem at the WCSO and the checks and balances put into place to make sure something like this could not happen failed.
That puts a lot of convictions and investigations at risk and makes our community less safe.
And if it is also true that proper bid processes were not upheld and that two men — both of whom had an obvious conflict of interest — were able to circumvent those rules for years and without anyone noticing what was going on, we have a failure there, too.
And while we are sorry to say it, the fact that the indictment states that the county did not have enough personnel to keep an eye on whether there might be something fishy going on in purchasing in any department, let alone the Sheriff’s Office, is a little bit scary.
How come we didn’t have checks and balances in place? In how many other departments is money slipping away in improperly handled purchases?
The recent troubles with Register of Deeds Constance Coram and her inability to properly handle her department’s finances should tell us that perhaps we need to keep a little closer watch on where our money is spent — and whom we elect to spend it.
And if we are going to expect that vigilance, maybe we need a few more people doing the watching.
But that is not the elephant we need to talk about here.
That’s Sheriff Larry Pierce, the man in charge.
He is the boss, and this is his circus.
And since this operation was unfolding under his nose — his 2019 Tahoe was one of the upfit vehicles that was allegedly bid and billed improperly — he, at the very least, bears responsibility for not keeping a close enough eye on what was going on.
And that brings us to a serious question.
We don’t know yet how much Pierce knew about what was going on in his drug unit and upfit bidding. But we know he knew one of the accused, Chris Worth, well enough to make him one of his top deputies.
And let’s also keep in mind that the head of the Drug Unit is not just a line employee.
He oversees a significant aspect of what the Sheriff’s Office does — and his job is critical to keeping dangerous criminals and drugs off the streets.
One would think that the operations there would have a lot of eyes on them.
But here’s what the indictment says: These activities went on for nearly a decade and began in 2014, the same year Pierce was sworn in.
We don’t know why no one spoke up or how things got this bad.
And we likely won’t until this case — and any future ones — go to trial.
But there are serious doubts right now — really serious doubts — about those who have been charged with keeping this community safe, specifically the man who was put into office by Wayne County voters.
And something needs to be done about it.
We should not be the only ones wondering what the next step should be for the county’s top law enforcement officer.
The people we elected to act on our behalf in the county commissioners’ office should be asking a bunch of questions, too.
And someone else should be watching very closely — District Attorney Matthew Delbridge.
Because as hard as it is to say, right now there a serious question as to whether Larry Pierce can or should continue as sheriff of Wayne County.
We are certain there is a mess in the county courthouse right now.
An indictment of this magnitude has likely sent a shockwave that has shaken the core of a very important part of this community.
What is needed now is leadership and to let criminals know that the Sheriff’s Office is still on the job and ready to enforce the laws of this county and state.
And county residents need to be assured that they can be confident in the men and women who wear those badges.
We aren’t sure what the answer is, but someone needs to have a serious discussion about who should be in charge at the Sheriff’s Office right now.
We can’t even begin to imagine what it is like to have to move in the bowels of the drug trade in Wayne County — and how hard it is to see the lives it destroys. The job of a deputy, or a sheriff, is not an easy one.
But when you take an oath to serve and protect and there is a massive failure to do that, something needs to be done to earn back that trust.
And we are not sure Larry Pierce is the one to do that — at least not now.
