Jeff Bobo at the Times-News reports:
Hawkins County school system maintenance supervisor Ralph Hurd was arrested Thursday morning, as a result of being named Monday in sealed Hawkins County grand jury indictments stemming from an investigation into the theft of school property last year.
Hurd, 68 … was indicted on two counts of official misconduct and released from the Hawkins County Jail on $10,000 bond shortly after his arrest … He is scheduled for arraignment Oct. 3 in Hawkins County Circuit Court.
[Third Judicial District Attorney General Berkeley Bell] estimated the value of the stolen property in the “tens of thousands of dollars.”
Head here for the entire report.
Of course, the public caught wind of the investigation several months ago and immediately started speculating on which administrators and/or officials might be involved. As always, somebody’s sister’s husband’s cousin’s neighbor, who goes to the same church as the best friend of the wife of the guy who bought stolen items from the old Maintenance Shop and then had to return them – said, he saw school board members, the director, half the city council and the ghost of Elvis with pressure washer attachments protruding from their pockets… and this was right before they headed off to have clandestine meetings with their bookies, the Mafia, `em Democrats or a guy, who looked sorta Islamicalish. The gossip stopped short of having rouge county officials supplying Russia with maintenance equipment and moonshine.
Chances are any evidence the state presented to the Grand Jury pales in comparison to what’s been cooked up in the fertile minds of the locals.
If convicted, Hurd, who is currently on administrative leave with pay until the charges are resolved, could face standard sentence for official misconduct (1-2 years in jail) and would be barred from holding any appointed or elected office for ten years after the date of his conviction.
I love the rogue-ishly playful way you paint officeholders in red faces with “rouge county officials supplying Russia”. This, even as Russia reverts to its Red Russian ways of yore.
Fan of yours and Ruby
Nice catch Jesse.
I’ve gotten two emails this morning notifying me that I misspelled rogue and one to inform me Islamicalish is not in the dictionary.