HEGE ON THE HOT SEAT

The seriousness and sheer number of charges handed down in indictments
against Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege on Monday merited his immediate
suspension from office. District Attorney Garry Frank presented ample
evidence for Hege's removal. A judge agreed it would be prudent for the
time being.

Judge W. Erwin Spainhour will decide later this month if Hege should be
permanently removed from office. The sooner a decision, the better for the
sheriff's department and the citizens of Davidson County.

Among the more disturbing charges against Hege is that he used his position
of power to threaten his own employees - specifically those who might
cooperate with investigators looking into alleged corruption and misconduct
in the sheriff's office. Included in the 67 sworn affidavits presented by
Frank were statements from deputies who said they feared for their jobs
after being told by Hege that those who spoke against him "were going to be
gone."

Indeed, on the morning Hege's indictment was made public, he demoted the
chief deputy who would have been next in line for the job. It appeared to
be a retaliatory move; the deputy had provided a statement to
investigators. Obviously the case could not proceed as it should with Hege
still hanging around.

Considering Hege's oath to uphold the law, and his shameless self-promotion
as "America's toughest sheriff," the charges are deeply troubling. They are
not, however, all that surprising. Hege has been a loose cannon from the
start, when after his election he set up a checkpoint outside a political
gathering to harass Democrats. (Hege is a Republican.) The department lost
its insurance coverage when Hege boasted of driving 140 mph on U.S. 52 in
his souped-up "spider car." Twice the SBI has investigated incidents in
which Hege chased fleeing vehicles into neighboring counties and fired at
them. Last year Hege's top three undercover vice officers pleaded guilty to
federal drug-trafficking charges.

And that's not the half of it.

Others face charges in connection with the investigation, including
Davidson County Commissioner Cynthia P. Akins and department head Kathryn
C. Gentry, both accused of allowing a county employee to do work at their
homes while on county time. The former employee, Ron Richardson, also was
indicted.

But the most serious charges are those faced by Hege, which range from
embezzlement to obstruction of justice. The affidavits allege that he
harassed employees, private citizens and political rivals, engaged in
racial profiling, falsified crime statistics and endangered the public.
Hege's Blue Line Foundation also is under investigation. The so-called
charity has paid the sheriff's wife, its only paid employee, more than half
as much as the fallen officers' families it is supposed to serve.

Regardless of how this case comes out, Hege has lost all credibility. He
cannot continue to wear the badge.

"This place used to be known for barbecue," Hege once boasted with a grin.
"Now it's known for me." Today those words seem profoundly prophetic.