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Controversial Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill has been order to pay $475,000 in damages stemming from an arrest in 2005. When Victor Hill took office in 2005, one the first things he did as sheriff was fire a couple dozen or more sheriff’s employees. The brother of the man Hill beat during the election, Mark Tuggle called Sheriff Hill’s office and left angry messages about the firings and demanded a meeting. The sheriff then had Tuggle arrested for making harassing calls. Tuggle was held nearly 30 hours.
Mark Tuggle decided to fight back and filed a Federal lawsuit against Victor Hill. In his lawsuit Tuggle alleged that Victor Hill violated his civil rights, the First and fourth amendments and the Sheriff maliciously prosecuted him. The jury found in favor of Tuggle on two of the three charges. The jury did not find Victor Hill guilty of malicious prosecution.
Mark Tuggle sued Victor Hill as Sheriff and as an individual; Clayton County may have to pick up some of the cost for the civil judgment. The judge has yet to determine how much Hill will have to pay in Tuggle’s attorney’s fees.
It’s kind of ironic and somewhat funny that Victor Hill was sued and lost over an incident that started at very beginning of his term as sheriff. Now that we are at the end of his term, his bullying has come back to bite him in the “you know where”. It’s just another in a long line of things that the Clayton County Taxpayers will have to pay for because of the sheriff.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Governor Sonny Purdue started an investigation to determine if Victor Hill has abandoned his post. It’s been speculated that Hill has been MIA since he lost his attempt at re-election in the August run-off. His staff insists that those reports are not true. The Governor has charged Harris County’s Sheriff Mike Jolley, Butts County’s Sheriff Gene Pope, and Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker to investigate the allegations.
On last Tuesday a new law took affect that have gun owners and gun rights advocates celebrating. State house bill 89, which was passed hours before the end of the 2008 session and signed into law by Governor Purdue, allows people that hold permits to carry concealed weapons to enter parks, restaurants that serve alcohol and public transportation. There are a number of opponent to this new law including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. Mayor Franklin and the Atlanta airport are challenging the new law, citing public safety concerns. The management of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has issued a warning to those people with concealed weapons permits; don’t bring your guns to the airport! The airport is threatening to arrest anyone discovered with a concealed gun permitted or otherwise under a law hat house bill 89 was designed to amend to. The Governor along with GeorgiaCarry.org has served Mayor Franklin and the airport with a lawsuit. I can’t wait to see how all off this will play out.
It’s been a week since the start of the new law and still no public gun fights. I don’t think we are no less safe than we were a month ago… criminals don’t advertise that they are carrying guns or knives. People with concealed permits are just they same. You still don’t know whose carrying and whose not. One difference is, if something does happen especially on public transportation and parks, there is a chance someone is around with the firepower to stop an assailant.
The new law comes just as the U.S. Supreme Court rules in favor of gun rights for home owners. As someone that’s been on the business end of a gun, I know I would rather have a permit and carry a gun, even if I never use it. But I would rather not be in a situation where I needed it and didn’t have it. This law isn’t going to cause people to go out and buy a gun just like that. All it does is extends more freedom to carry a weapon to those people who already follow the law. No law is going to stop people who are intent on breaking the law. This law helps the law abiding citizen and not the criminals. I’ve always said this and I will continue to say it, “guns don’t kill people, people with guns kill people.” Blame the person and not the instrument they used.
