An Ohio sheriff’s lieutenant apologized and was merely reprimanded after writing social media posts touting how he would not help people who voted for Democrats during Tuesday’s elections – and how he would demand to know the choice of a person voting before he helped.
WHIO, an Ohio news outlet, reported that John Rodgers, a veteran lieutenant of the Clark county sheriff’s office, posted on Facebook that he may consider taking into account a voter’s record in determining whether he will respond to calls for service in his jurisdiction. His jurisdiction includes the city of Springfield, which lately has been at the center of conservative conspiracy theories.
In a series of posts, Rodgers reportedly wrote: “I am sorry. If you support the Democrat Party I will not help you.”
In another post, he reportedly said: “The problem is that I know which of you supports the Democratic Party, and I will not help you survive the end of days.”
And in another, WHIO reported, Rodgers said people would have to “provide proof of who you voted for” if they wanted his help.
The sheriff’s office later said, after the posts gained public attention in a statement to WHIO that the comments were “highly inappropriate.” The agency further stated that the posts “in no means reflect the Clark county sheriff’s Office delivery of service to ALL our community and does not reflect the mission and values of the sheriff’s office.”.
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“The community has a right to be upset over the actions of Lt Rodgers and he, as well as the sheriff’s office in general, will have to work even harder to replenish the trust of members of our community,” the statement added.
Another internal investigation file related to the Rodgers’ posts, also released by WHIO shows Rodgers claimed he had received a prescription for sleep aids from his doctor, and argued these were causing some of his communications to be “out of character”. According to the report, Rodgers would not let that slide: “That’s a documented side-effect”.
“I do not remember writing these posts or deleting any posts,” Rodgers reportedly wrote to the inter-office communication with supervisors.
WHIO reported that the sheriff’s office issued a written reprimand to Rodgers for violating the department’s social media policy but he would remain on duty.
Ohio’s Clark county has been at the center of things over the course of Donald Trump’s campaign for a second presidency after he and others started repeating lies on social media that members of the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, were eating domestic pets and wildlife.
Since the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, endorsed the baseless and defamatory allegations during his debate with his White House election opponent, Kamala Harris, last September, a series of bomb threats targeting the community have caused lockdowns at several hospitals, local government buildings, and schools, forcing evacuations and temporary closures.
In a statement to the Springfield News-Sun, Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Young addressed the situation of Rodgers and linked it with the ongoing tensions in Springfield and Clark county over lies about Haitian immigrants in the area.
We have been in this fight for the past few months, with attacks on the Haitian community and other immigrants, and we protect rights and we do not condone the actions to the contrary,” Young said. “I can’t turn back the clock and take that post away. The lieutenant made the post, and he has received consequences for that.”.
In a letter to the News-Sun on Sunday, Rodgers himself said he was once more apologetic of what he posted.
“I know I cannot apologize enough and that my apologies seem meaningless but I will continue apologizing as long as there is a need to” said Rodgers.
“I know in this day and age society has a perception of law enforcement that may not always be positive, and I have now added to that perception,” Rodgers added. “I accept responsibility for the messages, and I deeply regret making them.”
Rodgers said he deactivated his Facebook, stopped taking his sleeping medicine, and called his doctor to discuss alternative medication once he realized what he posted on Tuesday.
He said to News-Sun that he even contacted Clark county commission, community partners, and the NAACP to get “face-to-face conversations” in order to make himself understood, take ownership of the posts, and apologize them, knowing “it will be difficult for the public to trust me.”.