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Millboro Happenings
By Gina Hamilton
The Ruritan Club will host a Harvest Holiday of family fun on Saturday, Nov. 10, beginning at 3:30 p.m. with free hayrides for an hour from the picnic shelter across from the elementary school on Church Street. A petting zoo will be set up at the shelter during that time as well. After the hayrides, local writer/reporter and traveler Margo Oxendine will tell stories at the nature trail bridge (a short walk from the picnic shelter), and at 6 p.m. in the Ruritan building, where a spaghetti dinner will be available at a small cost from 4-7 p.m. Besides spaghetti, the dinner will include a salad, warm bread, dessert, and a choice of coffee, tea or milk.
About 50 residents turned out to hear what the six candidates running for Bath County sheriff had to say during a debate Monday evening at the elementary school. The event was organized by the Ruritan Club. The candidates, David Bratton, Jay Bryan, Kirby Buzzard, Tim Dunnagan, Larry Norfleet, and Frank Pritt Jr. were asked to respond to the following five questions:
1. What is your motivation to become sheriff of Bath County?
2. What past experience/training do you have which you think qualifies you to hold the office of sheriff in Bath County?
3. What do you envision as the law enforcement issues facing Bath County during the next four years?
4. How many deputies do you think should be employed? Would you retain the present deputies or appoint a new staff?
5. Would you initiate a drug awareness and prevention program to be presented in Bath County schools?
Responses (candidates selected to speak in mixed order):
1. Bryan: He's been around law enforcement all his life and has a passion for public service. Buzzard: He cares about Bath County; would focus on drug arrests.
Norfleet: Has seen some deficiencies in sheriff's office that need to be corrected. Bratton: He thinks it's time for a change. Dunnagan: To make sure county children grow up in a safe environment and citizens live in a safe place. Pritt: He's always been interested in law enforcement.
2. Norfleet: He retains certifications after retiring as master trooper from Virginia State Police after 29 years. With the state police, he was field training officer since 1980, an investigator, and attended FBI and DEA drug interdiction schools. He is certified in the use of radar and as investigator.
Bryan: At the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Center he received training in drug interdiction, enforcement, Homeland Security and terrorism awareness. He's had ongoing training in the past 22 years in crime scene interrogation.
Bratton: He has no law enforcement experience but said he knows how to work with people.
Pritt: He has operated radar before and had every class available when he was sheriff from 1967-80. Buzzard: Working in law enforcement since 1993, he has had numerous training sessions, including undercover drug investigation.
Dunnagan: In his 26 years in the sheriff's department, he is certified as investigator, including in child sex abuse investigation, and search and seizure. He serves on the drug task force.
3. Bratton: The main thing is being out in public, more rotating shifts in the sheriff 's office.
Dunnagan: A problem is there's a lot of construction going on, with contractors bringing in laborers who are bringing in drugs and outside influences. And a lot of civil papers (such as divorce documents) come in that have to be served, up to 40-some papers in one day. Pritt: Reflecting on what was already said, he added the sheriff has to get to know the people; new people can bring problems. Buzzard: Serving civil papers and business checks takes a lot of time. As population grows, there are more problems. You can't stop crime or drug problems, but you can saturate an area with enforcement. Norfleet: The drug situation above everything else - it will always be here - but you've got to curb it; it's killing our kids. He wants to have a K-9 dog and said the department also needs to look at the prospect of gangs, which tend to scope out small towns. The department also needs to be prepared for disasters, and officers need more education.
Bryan: The drug thing, you'll never get rid of it. He would implement a K-9 dog as a tool to tackle the drug problem, have staff trained. He said prescription drug abuse is one of the biggest problems.
4. Pritt: Your department is usually governed by the state. It's up to department members if they want to work for me. Bratton: He would not get rid of anybody; everyone needs to work together.
Dunnagan: Plans on keeping the staff, but would do some tweaking, changing how some jobs are done. Norfleet: He would keep all deputies as long as they are willing to work; he'd expect eight hours' work for eight hours' pay.
Bryan: He would not get rid of them; he would reorganize the department and would plan to work out in public himself. Buzzard: He sees no point in getting rid of current staff; it's costly to train new people and a waste of taxpayers' money.
5. Dunnagan: Former DARE program (on drug abuse awareness) tied up a deputy for three or four months and didn't seem to be getting across (to students); so the sheriff implemented the Class Action program. (Students learn about drugs, driving, Internet safety, crimes against persons or at school, vandalism, and basics of state law.) He teaches it at the high school. Pritt: He would continue a program that was used when he was sheriff before, talking to schools; he'd also look into different programs. Buzzard: He'd want to implement a program in schools, and a school resource officer at the high school, a person to interact with the kids. Bryan: He wants to implement a program to go into schools to talk to kids about drugs. He's had a program with local doctors coming to schools to explain the harmful effects of drugs on the body. While the Class Action program is at the high school, he also wants to educate the public about keeping drugs locked up. Bratton: He thinks department staff definitely needs to be at schools, and in elementary schools, not just talking about drugs but gaining kids' trust. Norfleet: Department should make every effort to give kids as much education as possible on the hazards of drugs and alcohol, and educate teachers to know what drugs look like. He also agrees with use of the Class Action program, and said there's a need to work with, and continue, the afterprom parties to make sure the kids come home every night.
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