Mike McDermott is used to corralling the bad guys after nearly three decades in law enforcement, but an internal Worcester County Sheriff's Department probe leaves him as the accused party regarding an incident involving one of his service weapons.
It is alleged that McDermott improperly secured a spare service weapon, according to his lawyer in a published report. Worcester County Sheriff Charles Martin placed McDermott on desk duty and stripped him of police powers as of July 22, months after this incident occurred. While a subsequent internal review by fellow members of the Sheriff's Department recommended McDermott's police powers be restored, Sheriff Martin has kept McDermott in his deskbound status.
However, some observers see this as a politically motivated act. Sheriff Martin, who is a Democrat and not running for re-election this year, participated in this television commercial for current Delegate (and McDermott's likely opponent) Norm Conway. Delmarva Dealings blogger G.A. Harrison alleges the weapon in question was confiscated by Martin last fall from McDermott's office.
All this raises some interesting questions about timing. McDermott has been on the campaign trail since last September, which means Mike was likely already into the fray when the incident occurred. Had the incident been taken care of immediately it may have slowed McDermott's initial groundwork or induced possible GOP candidates to jump in earlier, so it seems the timing was meant to sway GOP voters into voting for two of Mike's three (perhaps weaker) primary opponents (District 38B is a two-Delegate district.) The obvious "what if?" question concerns the timing had only two entrants been in the GOP primary - would this have come out as an "October surprise"?
The obvious best-case scenario for all involved will be for the matter to be swiftly resolved and return the election to where it belongs - a discussion of the issues facing voters in the Wicomico/Worcester district.
VIA: Examiner.com
3 comments:
Another obivious question is would this even have been an issue if the mayor wasn't the leading GOP delegate candidate?
BUT...........
What's obivious to anyone with even 1/2 their brain cells working is that yes, this is politically motivated. If it weren't, Sheriff Martin would have waited until AFTER the election. Afterall, he did manage to keep mum on this for almost 10 months-a few more months of silence wouldn't have made any difference in this matter at all.
That's what I think. If this is such a big darn no-no why didn't the chief open his mouth when it happened? Makes me wonder what other types of things could be going on that the Worcester County residents won't know about until after it happens.
Guess someone thought if they threw a wrench into the whole process of the election it would change the voters minds.
Kids play to me. Everyone screams for change and then when there looks like there will be change they scream "No, not HIM!".
Go figure.
The most amusing of all of this jmmb, is the bags of wind (wink wink) out there in the blogosphere who now all of a sudden think whatever comes out of the sheriff's mouth is gospel.
Do you think it's all because of their I Hate McDemott mentality?
As I recall, it wasn't so so long ago, that Sheriff Martin was corrupt according to the windbags. That's when they were all in a frenzy about that stupid book A Grain of Salt. The book was all about alleged corruption in not only the sheriff's department, but also the state's attorney's office.
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