Things got extremely heated Monday night at the county commission meeting between Sarah Cripps, a local attorney and Sheriff Patrick Ray.
Cripps is upset with Sheriff Ray, the Smithville Police Department and the E911 Center over an incident from a few weeks ago in which she claims her life and the lives of others including Judge Bratten Cook, II were threatened and these departments failed to respond promptly. She asked the county commission to appoint a community policing oversight board to investigate and conduct public hearings into the mismanagement and dereliction of duty of Sheriff Ray.
According to Cripps, she received no help from the city or county law enforcement departments on Tuesday, June 9 after being threatened by a woman she was appointed to represent in a Department of Children Services matter. But Sheriff Ray told the county commission Monday night that Cripps’ complaints against him are politically motivated and that Cripps has misrepresented portions of her story as to what happened on June 9.
The woman who made the threats against Cripps, Judge Cook, and two DCS case workers, 23 year-old Kathleen Nichole Thomas of Meadowbrook Drive was taken into custody later that same day and remains in jail today. Thomas was charged with retaliation of a past actions. The arrest warrant taken by Smithville Police Officer Andy Snow stated: “Ms Thomas made these threats several times. Ms. Thomas was so irate that she was spitting as she was yelling. Ms. Southard, Ms. Brown, Ms. Cripps, and myself left the residence. At approximately 12:24 p.m. Chief Collins, Sergeant Lance Dillard, Patrolman Tyler Patterson, and myself returned to 236 Meadowbrook Drive and spoke with Ms. Thomas. Chief Collins explained what concerns he had with what had happened earlier in the day. Ms Thomas voluntarily consented to be taken to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital for a mental evaluation. Ms. Thomas was transported to Saint Thomas DeKalb Hospital. While at the hospital, Ms Thomas did tell the ER doctor that she would get someone to “blow their heads off” and crisis was notified. Hospital staff advised that they did not have anywhere for Ms. Thomas to go to wait for crisis to come evaluate her. Ms. Thomas was then transported to the Smithville Police Department to wait for crisis. Crisis did make contact with Ms. Thomas by phone. The District Attorney’s office was also contacted about this incident”.
Cripps first addressed the County Commission with her complaints during an all-committees meeting Thursday night and later requested to be heard again during the regular monthly meeting Monday night. After initially being granted the request, Cripps said she was later informed that she would not be allowed to speak. As the meeting was about to adjourn Monday night, First District County Commissioner Dennis Slager moved that Cripps be allowed to speak for 10 minutes. After an amendment failed to cut her time to 3 minutes, Cripps was permitted by the commission to proceed for 10 minutes
“I come here because I don’t feel safe. I am not being protected by my sheriff and no other citizen is safe. I am asking that a community policing oversight board be appointed and that there be members from the county commission, city council, and citizen members to investigate and conduct public hearings into the mismanagement and dereliction of duty of Sheriff Patrick Ray. I am also asking for an Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, similar to what we have in the courthouse, and that our jail be required to appoint one because we don’t have one. In the past I was told I could be arrested for using my braille computer. I contacted Sheriff Ray and he confirmed that was the policy that I must write in ink. I am congenitally blind and cannot avail myself of that avenue. I am asking for a fact finding body that has continuing oversight over our sheriff’s office because Sheriff Ray has strayed from the tenants of protecting and securing,” said Cripps.
She then went into detail about what occurred before and during June 9.
“Judge Cook entered an order in the Juvenile Court on May 14 requiring law enforcement to accompany me and two other women (DCS case workers), Olivia Norton Southard and her supervisor to a woman’s (Thomas’) home. On Tuesday, June 9 we undertook to execute this order. A city police officer, Andy Snow accompanied us. He (Officer Snow) did nothing. At this home on June 9, the lady repeatedly threatened to kill me, to kill Judge Cook, and to kill the ladies who were with me. I have it on video. When we received these threats Officer Andy Snow never took it upon himself to assist us. He stood back at a safe distance to make sure nothing would hurt him,” said Cripps.
“Then we went to the sheriff’s office. While I was in route I said I need to call Judge Cook. I called him twice. I texted him saying secure your premises and conduct yourself accordingly because we have a credible threat of harm to you. Secure yourself. I arrived at the sheriff’s office and went to the front desk and was asked Ms. Cripps what can we do for you? The front desk was improperly staffed with a cook the day I went. At that time I asked to see a detective because of a credible threat of harm. They asked me do you have an appointment. I replied no I don’t. The lady at the front desk then said she could call 911 but she called the regular dispatch line and I reported my credible threat of harm to them,” said Cripps.
“E911 never warned Judge Cook. This has been a systemic failure that could have resulted in the death of several citizens. E911 never gave notice to anyone of a credible threat of harm. No one stationed an officer at Judge Cook’s home or at his office. He was sitting in his office with the doors locked because I had taken it upon myself to make sure our judge was safe although the sheriff didn’t care whether I was safe,” Cripps continued.
“After I had gone to the sheriff’s office I went to the city and met with Mr. Collins and was told by Officer Tyler Patterson, we will go talk to this lady (Thomas). That is all my life was worth was a talk,” she said.
“When we went to Judge Cook’s office he had his secretary call the jail and ask for the TBI phone number. The woman at the front desk told her “your best bet is to google it”. Judge Cook was incredulous so he called back and got the same response. He was told we don’t have that number,” said Cripps.
“In 2019 this commission gave Sheriff Ray additional monies to fund two full time employees, whose sole purpose it was and whose reason for being it was to provide protection for court personnel and to provide security for our courtrooms,” said Cripps.
“I am asking that rules and regulations be promulgated by you (county commission) so that judges, attorneys, and courtroom personnel know when we can avail ourselves to the protection of the sheriff’s department in a county building or while we are on business assigned to us by the county General Sessions Judge”.
“I am also asking for the oversight board because the sheriff is running the show and he is accountable to no one. As Judge Cook has stated, the only person who warned me was Sarah Cripps. So the blind lawyer defended the two case workers and warned the judge without any help from the city, county, or from our E911 Center. It is abominable. It is frightening. The citizens of this county should beware that they don’t need to look for protection from the sheriff. For all of these reasons and for the reason I was told that I could not bring a computer into the jail without being arrested, I am asking for an ADA coordinator to assist attorneys needing things and can’t get reasonable accommodations,” added Cripps.
After Cripps was finished Monday night, Commissioner Slager moved to adjourn the meeting but instead the commission voted to allow Sheriff’s department employee Amie Buchanan to respond to Cripps’ complaints.
Buchanan serves as a cook at the jail but is cross trained in corrections and was on duty at the front desk the day Cripps arrived because other officers including detectives were out of the office serving grand jury sealed indictments.
“When they came in (Cripps and DCS workers) they told me they had been threatened and needed to speak to somebody. Our protocol says we pick up the phone and call dispatch because they have to keep documentation so I picked up the phone and I called dispatch and said I have someone who needs to speak to you and I handed her (Cripps) the phone. They (dispatch) told her it was a city issue and you will have to go to the police department. Cripps finished the call and then she actually told me “thank you”. I never told her to leave the building,” said Buchanan.
After Buchanan’s remarks, Commissioner Slager again moved to adjourn but the commission voted to allow Sheriff Ray to speak for 10 minutes. Slager then asked to speak for 10 minutes after Sheriff Ray.
“I sat and took a chewing from Ms Cripps last Thursday that no one should ever take especially at a county meeting. But what I am going to do tonight is what the people elected me for. To stand up here and act like a leader for you as being sheriff. I am going to say this with the utmost respect for Ms Cripps who talked about me like a dog last Thursday. Ms Cripps came to the Sheriff’s Department. I can’t speak for what the city police department did on Meadowbrook Drive. That is something she will have to take up with somebody else. She stayed in my office for three minutes and nineteen seconds. Most of that time she talked to dispatch and I want you to hear that conversation she had with dispatch. (Sheriff Ray later played the audio recording of the Cripps conversation with central dispatch). This is a county court meeting. This is not civil court. This county commission cannot pass judgment on me. It cannot pass judgment on Ms. Cripps. This commission is a funding body to every county official. They take care of my budget. They tell me what I can spend but they cannot tell me how to do my policies and procedures. I think there is some confusion with that. My policies, procedures, and protocols we do for a reason and one of them is what we are talking about with this three minutes and nineteen seconds. I reviewed our video (of Cripps’ visit to the jail) after I was told Ms Cripps had some kind of altercation at the sheriff’s department. I went back and looked at the tape. I tried to call Ms Cripps twice and I left my number for her to call me back because I heard that she was not happy. Ms. Cripps has a political problem with me. She does not like me. She wanted to come up here and have an audience last Thursday and then she wanted one tonight (Monday) where the citizens of this county could hear it on the radio. I am here to tell you that Ms. Cripps has a problem with me. No one from Ms Cripps’ office called and said she wanted to talk to me. I called her,” said Sheriff Ray.
“You want to talk about an oversight committee Ms Cripps, my oversight committee is the citizens of this county every four years. I get elected and try my best. I give 110% to every citizen here. For some reason Ms Cripps will not work with me on trying to resolve this issue so here we are tonight,” he continued.
In response to Cripps’ comments about two officers being funded last year for courtroom security, Sheriff Ray said “yes there were two officers assigned to the courts to work the courts while they were in session but they are not to control the courthouse or sit here five days a week while the courthouse is open and closed. They take care of our courts when they are in session. Mr. Slager who was on the budget committee last year told me and my Chief Deputy Robert Patrick that those court officers are to work court and when they are not in session they are yours to do what you want to with. This is nothing but a political game people,” he said.
“She talked about defunding the Sheriff’s Department last Thursday, defunding the ones who stand between the victims and danger,” continued Sheriff Ray. “That’s what she said, ‘if it were up to me I’d defund it.”
“I am in total support of free speech but you are not going to set and beat me. I don’t think anybody on this county commission says they have ever seen me stand as mad as I am today. When you call me a liar or you accuse me of something I didn’t do I get very upset,” said Sheriff Ray.
“Over the last two months what we see our law enforcement going through, and over the last week I have seen here in this county, what my officers have seen and what they went through, and I have someone like Ms. Cripps come up here and lie about me and my department, and talk about defunding me, I get very upset,” he concluded
The commission then adjourned without hearing from Slager.
Cripps plans to address her grievance against the Smithville Police Department with the Mayor and Aldermen at their next regular meeting in July.
