If you have been following the ongoing comments of those against Larry Black being our sheriff, you will be ready for this week’s comments.

There was a comment about Black dating back to 1990, bringing up a situation which led to the shooting of a man armed with a knife. A knife when used for a weapon can be just as deadly as a gun.

Black’s account (and comments) of the incident are,

“ Rags1 statement is untrue. I should be given the opportunity to respond. He makes a number of accusations that are simply false.

In 1991 I was the supervisor on patrol and ordered another deputy to shoot an individual armed with a knife. This was after an 11 minute standoff where a demented person with a knife held five deputies at bay and refused to drop the knife. The suspect used the knife to cut his tongue and then cut an x across his chest. The suspect then approached a deputy who had positioned himself in the corner of the living room and had no escape route. I ordered another deputy to use deadly force and he complied with my order.

The suspect received a lengthy prison sentence and sued us from prison. This incident occurred during the time of Rodney King and the jury found the use of force was unjustified and the county insurance carrier paid the judgment. Catoosa County paid only the deductible which was $2500, I believe. I resent the remark about Larry Black being a cowboy and I will not respond to that insensitive remark. I was simply doing my job—protecting and serving my community that I truly love.”

I received an email from a reader who made the following observation.

“In regards to what “rags1” had to say about the 1990 incident, this person needs to let it go. Past is past and I find it extremely interesting and disheartening that people tend to neglect the past until such time as it is beneficial for them to recall it. I suppose “rags1” has never made a mistake in his/her entire life and chances are “rags1” has never worn a badge or been placed into a situation such as what happened in 1990. I could be wrong about that, but when you resort to name calling, well, let’s just say that it is easy to be an “arm chair” quarterback and criticize situations which we are not directly involved in. I think “rags1” is a very appropriate username”.

I will say most of the comments about Larry Black have been positive and supportive.

Last night I attended the 2012 Catoosa County sheriffs candidate debate at The Colonnade. I thought the program went well. I didn’t see any name calling or mudslinging from any of the candidates. There were five gentlemen running for the sheriff’s position. I thought they all brought a positive accounting of their individual skills and knowledge needed to be our new sheriff.

The question came up concerning concealed carry of firearms. They all support the second amendment and the right to carry a firearm if each person meets the rules set forth by the state. There was only one who did not like the thought of individuals carrying a gun out in the open and that was Larry Black.

There was a question put to the candidates I thought was very important: “If you were ordered by the government, state or federal, would you confiscate the guns of local Catoosa County residents during an emergency?” There are times when residents quite frankly have to take it upon themselves to protect themselves and their families.

The entire panel said they would not take up the firearms and would step aside if pressured by the government to do so. I believe this is all important. Why have a firearm to protect your loved ones, if they are taken away when you may need them the most? As I watched the debate, all the candidates were people under whom I would feel well protected if they were elected sheriff.

However, there was one who came over better suited for the job. I believe this man could go straight in and run the sheriff’s office from day one. He has all the past experience and drives to run the sheriff’s office. If you attended last night’s debate you saw that individual come to the front of the other candidates. This man is? I will keep my opinion to myself at this time, out of respect for the other candidates. Let the people decide who they want for Catoosa County sheriff.

My parting thoughts are, go out and vote, then get involved in your community. There are many new problems facing us as a community.

Roger Sherrill lives in Ringgold. He can be reached at tandemjumper@catt.com.