Adding To Its Long List Of Arrested Deputies, Polk County Sheriff Arrests Deputy For Capitol-Related Threats
Another law enforcement officer has lost his job after being unable to accept the outcome of a national election. Lots of officers around the nation are under investigation for their participation in the Capitol Hill raid earlier this month. There's another name to add to that long list -- one who used to work for one of the worst law enforcement officials in the county, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. (h/t WarOnPrivacy)
Trump repeatedly made it clear he preferred cops to the people they served and would be willing to overlook almost any sin they committed, as long as they did it with a uniform on. Trump claimed not liking cops was "wrong" and that he would fix it. He praised extrajudicial killings by federal officers and encouraged beat cops to beat arrestees.
That love for cops is paying dividends. But probably not paying enough to offset the loss of a law enforcement salary. A Polk County deputy has been fired for threatening messages about the January 6 raid on the Capitol.
Judd said another deputy reported the action, making threats in connection with violence against the U.S. Capitol, to a lieutenant.
"Our deputy that reported this is a hero," Judd said, adding that the reporting deputy was also investigated but cooperated fully and is not in trouble.
The suspect is accused of a "mass shooting or act of terrorism" threat, Judd said.
Judd said Heneen had made comments such as "Need to make the streets of D.C. run red with the blood of the tyrants" and "should have dragged the tyrants into the streets and executed them."
The screenshots made public by Sheriff Judd show Deputy Peter Heneen stating he'll "fucking kill bitches," "slit the throats" of any federal officer who "touches his family," and promising to "make them suffer."
Now, Heneen is not only out of a job, but he's been arrested and charged. This is something that seems to happen to an alarming number of Grady Judd's deputies. Here's a recent sampling:
August 2013: Deputy Mark Hicks arrested for sending lewd messages and images to a 17-year-old girl. (This is especially ironic given Grady Judd's numerous stings utilizing deputies who pretend to be minors and engage in sexual conversations with adult targets.)
January 2014: Deputy Julio Garcia arrested and charged after sexually propositioning arrestees.
September 2015: Deputy Consuelo Gallego-Bias arrested for assaulting her husband.
July 2017: Deputy David Clark arrested for driving under the influence after crashing his car into a utility pole.
September 2017: Deputy Russell Hilson arrested for assaulting his girlfriend.
April 2018: Deputy Thomas Strickland arrested and suspended for assaulting his wife.
March 2018: Deputy Silvia Lara arrested for aggravated stalking, burglary, and misuse of the drivers license database.
October 2018: 19-year veteran Scott Walker arrested on sexual battery charges after groping and digitally penetrating a deputy trainee.
November 2019: Detective Dennis Jones, Jr. arrested and charged with 22 counts of falsifying records and forgery.
February 2020: Deputy Seth Morozowski arrested for driving while intoxicated.
May 2020: Deputy Alfredo Marenco arrested for driving under the influence.
May 2020: Detention deputy Yessenia Turcios arrested for domestic violence.
September 2020: Sheriff's Office employee Candace Lewis arrested for domestic battery and filing a false report.
So, there are a couple of ways of looking at this. The more positive take would be that Sheriff Judd doesn't tolerate criminal acts or misconduct and moves swiftly to charge and remove troublesome deputies. The more negative view would be that Judd's department attracts and hires thugs, miscreants, and people with self-control issues. It can also be both! Counter-productive, if true, but the job still pays the same whether you're making things better or just looking busy.