Springfield, Ohio, was the locus of a false story about legal Haitian immigrant workers stealing and eating pets.
Now Springfield is in the news again, because a sheriff’s patrol commander posted on Facebook that 911 callers must prove they voted for Trump before he’ll send deputies (read story here).
The sheriff disavowed the posting, and reprimanded Lt. John Rodgers (photo, left), who’s been employed by the sheriff’s department since 2002. However, Rodgers will not lose his job or be demoted.
Rodgers himself scuttled for cover, claiming he was fuzzy-headed from medications, and doesn’t remember making the post. That strains credibility, because Rodgers posted multiple times, including one on October 20, 2024, that said, “I am sorry. If you support the Democrat party I will not help you.”
A local newspaper said Rodgers apologized. “In a letter Rodgers shared to the News-Sun on Friday afternoon, the lieutenant apologized to the community, the sheriff’s office, his coworkers, and his family.”
But I don’t see how any Democrat living in the sheriff’s service area, which includes not only the city of Springfield but all of Clark County, Ohio, can feel comfortable as long as Rodgers remains on duty. I think he should retire.