Ex-MCSO sgt. blasts Weaver

Letter to the editor
Published: June 12, 2008

Editor:

After reading last week’s letter from a supporter of Sheriff Erik Weaver about his continuing quest to embarrass Madison County citizens at the expense of the hardworking taxpayers that pay his salary, I felt compelled to express my viewpoint on this continuing Weaver embarrassment.

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Shawn Hill and until February of this year, I was a sergeant with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. I worked for the Madison Sheriff’s Office for approximately six years and have dedicated the majority of the last 13 years to law enforcement.

In February I became the sixth person to leave the department in a seven-month period. The combined experience of those individuals exceeds 55 years. That is a tremendous amount of experience lost within a small agency in a short period of time.

Many people have approached me over the last several months and asked why the department has lost so many good, quality people. I’m not going to comment for others, but I will say, contrary to what Sheriff Weaver has told the citizens and the board of supervisors, it was not the money. Madison County pays its deputies on par or better than most comparable neighboring agencies.

I left this agency because of the constant embarrassment and controversy Erik Weaver has bestowed upon the department and the community. The current situation, involving Sheriff Weaver being sued for not releasing information made through a freedom of information request, speaks volumes to what Sheriff Weaver is really made of.

There are two main reasons this information wasn’t released. The first of which is the fact that the requester was a former employee that Mr. Weaver deeply dislikes. The second reason is that Mr. Weaver didn’t want the citizens to know that the “Citizen Advisory Committee” was comprised of handpicked friends. These selections weren’t made to offer unbiased opinions and assistance to the department. They were made based upon who supported Erik Weaver and wouldn’t threaten the status quo. Has any member of the general public ever seen an open invitation to attend?

I find it deeply distressful that Erik Weaver now expects the hardworking taxpayers of Madison County to front a civil legal bill that he has incurred through his own poor judgment. Is this an example of “honest, ethical leadership”?

Haven’t the citizens of Madison County endured enough embarrassment at the hands of Erik Weaver? 

Shawn Hill
Stanardsville
Former Sergeant
Madison County Sheriff’s Office