CBT, you're forgetting one thing:

The deputy is being prosecuted too.

Sounds kinda harsh to me. Was it a first offense? He's been on the force since 1993. Did he just now go bad? What did his commanders/supervisors say on his annual reviews?

Or is this more Hutch v. Ragsdale political grandstanding, at the expense of some poor guy with a family to feed?
Anyone caught stealing at work, whether government or not, should be punished.

I'm just asking. And I'm not suggesting that employee theft, government or otherwise, especially government, should be tolerated or overlooked.

You damn liberals just can't be satisfied!! You want heads to roll, we give you rolling heads and what happens? You complain about which heads it is. I mean, what's next, will you complain about the sharpness of the blade too?

CAFKIA

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It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
  - William G. McAdoo

I'm guessing other Sheriff's Office employees will know that punishment awaits. Sheriff Jones' office will be better off by meting out harsh punishment and not creating an atmosphere where illegal activity and a waste of taxpayer dollars becomes just the accepted way of doing business.

I mean, yeah, it was only 10 bucks worth of gas -- but look at the behavior. He had to plan ahead to do it by bringing a can to work to put the stolen gas in. This was no little slip-up of putting a pen in his pocket and accidentally taking it home. And who is to say he didn't steal one can of gas a week for the last fourteen years? Or that if he would steal from the taxpayers in that regard, how many other ways might he?

Not to mention, stealing is stealing. And this time, the guy who is supposed to carry out the public trust is the one doing the stealing. That's just creepy.

Stealing is stealing and should be punished... no questions asked...

How did this go from wanting to know the whole story to "You damn liberals . . ." so quickly?

Rachel, I think your example only applies if you take a briefcase to work for the purpose of taking home company pens and paper.

J.J.'s running a tight ship. Used to be, all stealing $10 worth of gas got you was 10 minutes in the "Be Sweet" chair.

Especially on my first day out...

But, remember this deputy might well be the deputy that arrests your kid for shoplifting $1.30 in chewing gum. Is it not still considered stealing when it is $10 or less? Was he thinking it was okay, because he was only stealing "a little"?

If any employee should be held to a higher standard on matters of crime (white-collar, as in pens, or otherwise), it should be deputies. I mean, there's just a certain amount of irony in this thing.

A few years back Krogers charged a couple with shop lifting because they ate a few of the grapes they intended to buy... but when the couple went to pay how is Krogers supposed to weigh the grapes and charge them for the grapes...

Rachel, in your world Krogers should offered them something to drink free to wash down the grapes...

I will say it again... stealing is stealing...

There is an old saying: It's hard to be fair after you've been generous. Perhaps the new sheriff is merely trying to set the tone relatively early.

It's hard for me to think that the deputy just now got caught doing this. As another poster mentioned, how do we know it hasn't happened before? I don't necessarily think speeding a few miles over the limit is bad either, but I do raise my eyebrows when a cruiser blows by me on the interstate without light or siren.

I also agree that the deputies and police force need to be held to a higher standard.

There are all sorts of legitimate uses a deputy or his superiors might have for a container of gasoline. Weed whacking at the horse farm, powering one of those roadside speed meters, mowing the lawn at one of Hutchison's rental properties, starting the charcoal for a hot-dog feast for a thousand orphans, burning stuff. How do we know this guy didn't use the gas for job-related duties?

The tv news story last night said the officer drove off without paying for the gas, and the link to the kns story makes no mention of a county charge card.
CBT - Do you have inside info regarding the charge card?

I don't know if my info is current, but I believe the Sheriff's Office has a contract with Pilot and buys all it's gas there (Pilot has the most stations in Knox County so officers have an easy time getting fuel, prices are generally as cheap or cheaper (maybe they get a fleet discount?), bookkeeping is easy with one bill and there are no credit cards floating around out there). I believe the offending officer was observed at a Pilot stealing in the only way you can with this program, literally pumping gas into some other container.

I also believe the city used to have a similar agreement with Pilot, but Mayor Haslam dropped it when he was elected to avoid any appearance of impropriety. The West Wing of the 6th Floor clearly operates different than the East Wing. I don't know where the City gets it's gas now.

And why is the county buying gas from Pilot? Did Pilot just happen to be the best bidder on a county RFP for fuel service? Of course not, this is Knox County. Jim Haslam was chairman of the Public Building Authority. He and Hutchison were at odds with each other. Hutchison, through Leo Cooper, chairman of county commission at the time, got the votes to sack Haslam as PBA chair. Come election time, Hutchison needed to make amends. Along comes a sheriff's dept. contract for fuel services with none other than Jim Haslam's very own company. What a coincidence. Never mind that the county had its own fleet fuel station that up to that time had fueled all county vehicles, including the KCSD. But surely it's cheaper to buy from Pilot than to buy wholesale, right?

One other interesting sidelight from that transaction- after Leo Cooper had Haslam removed from the PBA Board, remember who beat this same Leo Cooper at the polls to become a member of Commission? Scooby Doo Moore. Who was one of Scooby's biggest behind-the-scenes supporters? Haslam. So the Sheriff uses Cooper to dethrone Haslam, who helps Scooby dethrone Cooper, and then Scooby brings down the whole danged government through juvenile ineptitude. The price of gasoline is even higher than we thought.

Never mind that the county had its own fleet fuel station that up to that time had fueled all county vehicles, including the KCSD. But surely it's cheaper to buy from Pilot than to buy wholesale, right?

It's one thing for a building inspector to fill up the Impala once a week but what if a Sheriff's patrol car needs gas and he/she's out at Watt Road or in Corryton? Having the ability to get gas at multiple locations makes sense. And, with Pilot's ability to spot price gas and buy it by the millions (?) of gallons, it might be cheaper. Do you know the terms of the agreement (assuming one exists) between Pilot and the KCSO?

Your political conspiracy theory might make sense, but what of Chairman Moore's prior employment with the KCSO and supposed close ties to Tim Hutchison. Were Haslam and Hutchison on the same side against Cooper?

Conspiracy theories abound. The simple fact is Sheriff's deputies need to be able to buy gas without driving back downtown. Pilot has the most stations in Knox County. Pilot is convenient and can buy gas cheap.

What part of riding around in a sheriff's cruiser with a container of flammable liquid sounded like a good idea?

The disregard for safety should also be considered.

Deputies don't have to make a special trip downtown- they're downtown each shift. And they're typically not using more than a full tank each shift. Driving from Corryton to the closest Pilot station (Halls- 7 miles) can't be as cost-effective as driving from the CC Bldg to Baxter Ave (2 miles- 5 minutes).

As to the Sheriff not supporting Moore- if you'll recall, Scooby and the Sheriff did not get along for quite a while. They did not get along (usually) prior to Scott leaving the dept. up to the time of the commission election. The two didn't rekindle their relationship until near the end of that election.

Pilot pays taxes for its gas, the county didn't. I can't imagine Pilot is selling the gas without an added profit. Hard to see how adding a middleman and passed-on taxes results in savings. A good cost:benefit analysis of this issue by county finance could possibly be good ammo for Ragsdale- who desperately needs it at the moment- but of course he can't do that given that the deal involves Haslam, can he?