Who remembers Earl Lee

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iheartdiesel wrote:

I don't know why y'all are actin like we went straight from Earl lee to Phil miller, what about Tommy Waldrop?!?! Now HE was the man!!

Well wrote:

Earl Lee was a crook, liar, and hypocrite like Dirty Dawg McDade, Phil Miller, and that sociopath David Emerson.

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Well wrote:

Earl Lee was a crook, liar, and hypocrite like Dirty Dawg McDade, Phil Miller, and that sociopath David Emerson.

Whitey wrote:

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Oh he was the man alright--not man enough to debate before his election, when had to give a speech after his election (or interview) would always conveniently go out of town or disappear. He did not have investigative experience because State Patrol only investigated auto accidents on major highways and gave speeding tickets. He also stated that he only wanted to serve two terms to just to get another retirement income under his belt. Made it easy for Phil Miller to slip in.

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Well wrote:

Earl Lee was a crook, liar, and hypocrite like Dirty Dawg McDade, Phil Miller, and that sociopath David Emerson.

miajoon wrote:

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Even strong supporters of Sherriff Lee who lived thru those years had to admit that he was crooked to some extent. I remember a TV reporter showing up at his lake house with a camera and exposing the fact that he was using DC prisoners to do maintenance work.
And there was the time when 6 or 7 of our most prominent businessmen were put on trial for running a car theft ring. The black guy who actually did the stealing was convicted, and several of the others plead no contest or guilty (I forget the exact details). But the most prominent of them demanded a trial, and was acquitted when the Sherriff himself took the stand and testified on the man's behalf. He said the man had admitted dealing in "hot" cars, but that he just thought that meant they run fast. Yeah, right.
Most people in this county were willing to overlook Sheriff Lee's faults, even the killings of several prisoners and suspects - because he made people feel safe. I remember when Tommy Griffin, who got drunk and helped his cousin kill the young woman Architect in Atlanta, then fled to Florida, only to turn himself in because he believed Earl Lee would kill him if he didn’t.
And the athletic prisoner who escaped from the jail, only to turn himself in a few hours later, because he believed the angry sheriff would kill him if caught.
It is easy to beat our chests and applaud a sheriff who "exterminates vermin" without burdening the already overworked judicial system. However, do we really want one man to have that much power? to be Sherriff, judge, jury, and executioner? The founding fathers established the right to a lawful process in Article 3 of the constitution, and Amendments 6 and 7. I do not want any man, even one that I might admire, to have the ultimate power of life or death over me.
I am no fan of Sherriff Miller. I think this jail project, which he pushed so hard for, will strangle this county. However, it is clear to me that he operates a much more professional law enforcement operation than Sheriff Lee ever did.

spitfire2 wrote:

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I agree. I grewup in a coal mining county where it was the same way, the sheriff was given all power and as long as he was stepping on the necks of the apparent criminals everyone was to look the other way when his trucks showed up for a free load of coal from your property. I don't understand why people want to have someone with that much power in their community.

miajoon wrote:

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Even strong supporters of Sherriff Lee who lived thru those years had to admit that he was crooked to some extent. I remember a TV reporter showing up at his lake house with a camera and exposing the fact that he was using DC prisoners to do maintenance work.
And there was the time when 6 or 7 of our most prominent businessmen were put on trial for running a car theft ring. The black guy who actually did the stealing was convicted, and several of the others plead no contest or guilty (I forget the exact details). But the most prominent of them demanded a trial, and was acquitted when the Sherriff himself took the stand and testified on the man's behalf. He said the man had admitted dealing in "hot" cars, but that he just thought that meant they run fast. Yeah, right.
Most people in this county were willing to overlook Sheriff Lee's faults, even the killings of several prisoners and suspects - because he made people feel safe. I remember when Tommy Griffin, who got drunk and helped his cousin kill the young woman Architect in Atlanta, then fled to Florida, only to turn himself in because he believed Earl Lee would kill him if he didn’t.
And the athletic prisoner who escaped from the jail, only to turn himself in a few hours later, because he believed the angry sheriff would kill him if caught.
It is easy to beat our chests and applaud a sheriff who "exterminates vermin" without burdening the already overworked judicial system. However, do we really want one man to have that much power? to be Sherriff, judge, jury, and executioner? The founding fathers established the right to a lawful process in Article 3 of the constitution, and Amendments 6 and 7. I do not want any man, even one that I might admire, to have the ultimate power of life or death over me.
I am no fan of Sherriff Miller. I think this jail project, which he pushed so hard for, will strangle this county. However, it is clear to me that he operates a much more professional law enforcement operation than Sheriff Lee ever did.

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Dont Tread On Me 1 wrote:

Sorry meant "trial"

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KARMA wrote:

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Defend Earl Lee, but bash Hosea Williams. Wow, you have such a objective opinion. Your time has passed, this is our time. The world is changing right in front of your face.

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Dont Tread On Me 1 wrote:

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I'm sorry you objected to the fact that 2 criminals turned themselves in because they were afraid of receiving punishment for their crimes. Sometimes it pays to put the fear of god (so to speak) into criminals..

miajoon wrote:

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Sheriff Lee's legend revolved around a number of questionable acts against suspects or prisoners. He was never charged with any of them, as far as I can tell. Here are the ones that were recounted in an AJC front page article on July 10, 1985:
In 1974, Lee was in the patrol car, struggling with John Knowles when the GBI agent shot him.
In 1976, his deputies shot and killed a robbery suspect who had taken an officer hostage.
In 1984, his deputies crossed into Alabama and killed a burglary suspect. If I remember correctly, the man's girlfriend drove into a rest area, where she had arranged to meet the suspect, with deputies hiding in the back seat. As the man approached the car, they gunned him down. Alabama was not pleased, but I do not believe any charges were ever filed.
In 1985, Ray Joiner escaped from the DC jail, only to turn himself in at a home in Arbor Station. He told the press he was afraid the sheriff would unleash his big guns on him. Joiner was awaiting trial for murder.
Then there was the Tommy Griffin deal, and the car theft ring, and the lake house scandal.
And there were lots of rumors about "suicides" in jail and bones buried on his land, and so forth. And how could we forget the Devil worshiping cult that got him on the national news. "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck!" I remember him saying.
An acquaintance of mine, who claimed to know Sheriff Lee well, said that he asked him one time about the rules governing when you could shoot someone who was breaking into your house. The Sheriff told him that if the intruder had crossed your threshold, you could kill him without much fear of prosecution. However, the sheriff added, if you shoot him in the yard, call me, and I will help you drag him on in the house. Is this an urban legend? Who knows?
Most of the rumors were probably not true, or were embellished. It could be that all of the violence was justified. Legend is almost always based on a blend of fact and fiction. In any case, a culture of fear developed to the point that at least two murderess chose to relinquish their freedom to avoid expected death by gunfire.
I agree with you that 'soft on crime" is not a workable option. But what we need is what we have: an efficient, no-nonsense, and professional sheriff's department- not a culture of fear.