This undated image provided by the Clark County Ohio Government website shows Lt. John Rodgers, a 20-year veteran of the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, who posted on Facebook that he would not help people who support to the Democratic Party. (Clark County Ohio government website via AP)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio sheriff’s patrol commander who declared on Facebook that he would not help Democrats and would require proof of who a person voted for before giving them help has apologized, blaming prescribed sleeping pills for causing his “out of place” behavior. Lt. John Rodgers, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff’s office in Clark County, where Springfield is the county seat, made the remarks in several Facebook posts, WHIO-TV reported.
“I’m sorry. If you support the Democratic Party, I won’t help you.” Rodgers reportedly wrote in a post. Another said: “The problem is that I know which of you supports the Democratic Party and I will not help you survive the end of days.”
The sheriff’s office said Rodgers, who commanded the department’s highway patrol, would remain on duty, with a written reprimand for violating the department’s social media policy.
“We have been in this battle for the last few months, with attacks on the Haitian community and other immigrants, and we protect people’s rights and do not support contrary behavior,” County Chief Deputy Mike Young told the Springfield News-Sun. “I can’t go back in time and take that position away; “The lieutenant held the position and has received consequences for it.”
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and his running mate JD Vance, thrust Springfield into the national spotlight with false claims (some made during a nationally televised presidential debate) that the city’s Haitian immigrants were eating people’s dogs and cats. Springfield is in southwestern Ohio, between Columbus and Dayton. Clark County Elections Director Jason Baker said Rodgers was not scheduled to be at the county board of elections Tuesday night, but the sheriff’s office still plans to send other deputies there to provide security during the count. electoral.
“I think the public should still be safe, with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department and the Springfield Police Department working.” he told The Associated Press. “We are all fighting for the same result, which is to have a peaceful day.”
A statement from the sheriff’s office said the posts do not reflect the office’s mission and values.
“It is understood that while these comments are highly inappropriate, they in no way reflect the Clark County Sheriff’s Office’s provision of services to our ENTIRE community.” the statement said. “The community has a right to be upset by Lt. Rodgers’ actions and he, as well as the Sheriff’s Office as a whole, will have to work even harder to regain the trust of our community members.”
Rodgers formally responded to the reprimand, writing in a letter in his personnel file that he does not remember writing the posts or deleting them, and was alerted when a co-worker asked him if he was okay, the Springfield News-Sun reported. Rodgers wrote that he did not find them on his page when he searched for them and that the first time he saw them was during a meeting with a department official. Rodgers said he sometimes takes a prescription sleeping pill that can cause him to send “out of place” text messages, phone calls or other forms of communication as a side effect. The lieutenant said he only learned of the messages on Tuesday, deactivated his Facebook account and stopped taking the medication, the newspaper reported. Clark is not the only Ohio county facing controversial statements made by law enforcement officials on social media. The U.S. Department of Justice’s election monitoring operation is in Portage County, in the northeastern part of Ohio, to ensure the county is complying with federal voting rights laws during early and voting day voting. the elections. This was after Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, a Republican, was charged last month with voter intimidation. Zuchowski, who is running for re-election, posted on social media that people with signs in Kamala Harris’ yard should have their addresses written down so immigrants can be sent to live with them if the Democrat wins the presidency. Following the comments, the Portage County Board of Elections voted to waive the use of sheriff’s deputies for election security this year. Asked at a news conference Monday about how the two cases could affect voters’ sense of security, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said some law enforcement officials, particularly when running for public office, they can sometimes make comments that are “disadvised.”
“But that does not in any way involve the dedicated sworn deputies who work for them,” said. “These are dedicated people who are first and foremost men and women of the law. They have taken an oath to do this. “They risk their lives to achieve it and I have every confidence that they take that duty very seriously.”