William "Bill" Null, the man on stage with Sheriff Dar Leaf at an open carry militia rally in May, was arrested in early October in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
"I will not allow my deputies or any law enforcement officer in Butler County to take the abuse I have seen over the past several months. If you come to this county expecting a free pass to harm one of my men or women in uniform keep in mind, nothing in life is free," Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones said.
The sheriff said if anyone confronts an employee about them not wearing mask, the employee should “politely and professionally tell them I am not required to wear a mask nor will I, per the Order of the Sheriff,” and walk away.
"(These) are dangerous, dangerous offenders that will be released back into our communities. It's unacceptable," said Patricia Wenskunas, founder of Crime Survivors, an organization that represents crime victims and their families. Sheriff Alex Villaneuva has also expressed disapproval with the plan.
"If we can’t handle you, I’ll exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I’ll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I’ll deputize them for this one purpose to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility."
Sheriff Andy Clark was hit by an SUV about 11:30 p.m. Clark, 43, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"It's time to get back opening up our businesses and letting our people do what our normal business activities are," he said. "You know, at the same time they are trying to force me to release real criminals from jail. They want me to make criminals out of law-abiding citizens..."
Villanueva’s calls for gun shop closures contradicted with a statement issued by the top lawyer for the county, which said that neither L.A. county’s stay-at-home order or the executive order from Gov. Gavin Newsom specifically mentioned gun shops.
For almost two weeks, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he was looking for as many inmates as possible to safely release. On Tuesday, he said the number so far was 1,700 inmates, or about 10% of the county’s entire jail population.
Attorneys for an embattled Alabama sheriff—who is currently facing felony theft charges—falsely claimed in court documents that he was being tested for COVID-19, also known as coronavirus.