'TOUGHEST SHERIFF' ACCUSED OF STEALING

Lawman charged with embezzling from drug-enforcement fund

Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege -- the man known for dressing inmates in
striped uniforms and holding them in bright pink cells -- was arrested
Monday on charges of embezzling county money and trying to cover it up.

Hege was indicted Sept. 3 on 15 felony counts, but his arrest just came
Monday after the charges were unsealed in Davidson County Superior Court.

Hege, the self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff," has been suspended
with pay, pending the outcome of a Sept. 29 hearing about whether he may
keep his position. Maj. Dallas Hedrick has temporarily taken over the
department.

Loosely related indictments against one current and one former county leader
were also unsealed Monday.

The last year and a half has been full of problems for Hege, who saw three
deputies convicted on federal drug charges, his nonprofit organization
investigated for not being licensed properly and a re-election that he
almost lost.

"He has presented himself as the meanest man in the world, and it's caught
up to him," said Fred Sink, chair of the Davidson Board of County
Commissioners. Then-Sheriff Sink hired Hege as a deputy in 1970. "It's
show-and-tell time, I guess."

Among other allegations, the indictments accuse Hege, 55, of embezzling
$6,200 from his department and using it for two election celebration dinners
and to pay a colleague's personal travel expenses.

The five embezzlement charges refer to money taken between 1998 and 2002.
The money came from a fund officers used to make undercover drug buys.

The other indictments include five counts of obtaining property by false
pretense, two counts of obstruction of justice, and one count each of
endeavoring to intercept oral communication, aiding and abetting to endeavor
to intercept oral communication, and aiding and abetting obtaining property
by false pretense.

Hege was arrested at his Lexington office by the N.C. State Bureau of
Investigation. Lexington is 53 miles northeast of Charlotte.

At a midday court appearance, District Attorney Garry Frank filed a petition
to have him removed from office and immediately suspended "for the
protection of the public."

Hege was ordered not to contact anyone involved in the case and not to
return to his office. He posted bond of $15,000 before being released about
1:15 p.m.

Hege didn't return phone calls Monday evening.

Known for his unconventional style and tactics, Hege has been featured in
national newspapers and television shows.

The sheriff, a Vietnam veteran in office since 1994, prides himself on his
tough reputation. His deputies dress in military-style gear. Jail cells are
painted bright pink to humiliate inmates. Inmates wear striped uniforms,
reminiscent of old jailhouse movies.

Next to a declaration that there are "no deals for anybody," Hege's Web site
features a photograph of him clutching a double-barreled shotgun. Posters
for sale on the site, called "Hege Country," boast: "Scumbags .. We don't
play in Davidson County" and "Resistance is futile!"

Proceeds from the $5 posters and Sheriff Hege's Lexington Style BBQ Dip go
to the Blue Line Foundation, a charity started by Hege and his wife to help
families of officers killed or hurt on duty.

Hege has long defended his leadership with numbers, arguing that the crime
rate has dropped sharply in his jurisdiction during his tenure as sheriff.

But the past 18 months have been difficult for Hege and his reputation.

In July 2002, three of his officers pleaded guilty to federal charges that
they conspired to distribute cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy and anabolic
steroids. Defense lawyers argued they had not been properly supervised.

In November, Hege won his third term by defeating Democrat Roy Holman by
just 1,700 votes.

Then came the investigation, which the SBI's Professional Standards section
in Raleigh handled because of the working relationship between the local SBI
office and Hege's department.

Frank said he requested the investigation of Hege after receiving
information that developed from an SBI investigation last fall of Ronald
Richardson, who resigned in January as the county's public buildings and
maintenance director. Sixteen indictments against Richardson were also
unsealed Monday, as was one indictment against sitting county commissioner
Cindy Akins.

The N.C. secretary of state's office, which oversees charities, has also
been looking at the Blue Line Foundation, which was operating without the
necessary license. Recently the group has filed and revised tax forms with
the state in an effort to become licensed.

The indictments followed weeks of speculation about the sheriff's troubles
with the law, said Davidson Clerk of Superior Court Brian Shipwash.

"To see the sheriff facing these kind of charges is kind of a surreal
event," he said. "People have been speculating ... (but) it's still hard to
believe."