Ohio Sherriff Refuses to Process Heartless Evictions

FOX 28

December 11, 2008

HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) — A sheriff in southwest Ohio has ordered deputies to ignore eviction orders when people have nowhere else to live.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says evictions in winter weather and during an economic recession are heartless and those cases should be sent back to the courts and resolved some other way.

Jones on Tuesday ordered deputies to ensure that people have shelter before they’re forced out of their homes. He also sent a letter to Gov. Ted Strickland asking him to issue a state order to stop forced evictions for at least the winter months.

The sheriff could face court action if a bank or landlord challenges his refusal to honor a court-ordered eviction. Jones says he will face any consequences of his order.

Today, as I was reading some of my favorite news sites, I found this article about Sheriff Richard Jones up in Ohio. I was immediately intrigued by this man's willingness to take a stand on this issue,knowing that he may be prosecuted for failure to serve the evictions.

This is a case I believe will be worth watching, as it continues to evolve. Sheriff Jones has made it very clear that he will not place families on the street, in the cold of winter, with no place to go.
Sheriff Jones made the following statement during a recent interview:

“It doesn’t cost much for me to be compassionate, and I’m not going to cause somebody to die because I wasn’t compassionate,” Jones said."

Sheriff Jones, in his letter to the governor, went on to say:

"I am concerned that these people will not be able to find shelter and someone will die," the letter says. "This would be the equivalent of receiving the death penalty for being behind on your payments.

"In the meantime, if we discover that those being set out have no place to go and risk freezing and starving to death, I will refuse to serve this order and send the paperwork back to the courts," Jones wrote.

Sheriff Jones made it clear in his statements that his intent was not to break the law, but to find those families being evicted somewhere to go, before they were kicked out on the street. He stated that if his office should receive an eviction notice and it is discovered that the residents do not have shelter available for them and their children, that he would return the case to the courts until alternative housing could be found.

I believe here stands a Patriot, and a leader with a heart. This Sheriff, at the risk of being prosecuted, has taken a stand to make a difference. A difference, I know in the lives of many people who are now being evicted. I understand that the banks and mortgage companies need to be paid, but Sheriff Jones is saying "let's be humane" in the way we are going about doing this. I applaud Sheriff Jones as he continues to stand, and as he will allow the people to "judge him by his actions". I welcome your comments and thoughts.