HOUSTON COUNTY: In this podcast Rickey Stokes addresses why he has checked on Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe.
Chairman Shoupe was elected as a “full time” Houston County Commission Chairman. Yet he has made the statement that he has a good staff at Houston County and in the business he purchased, Tri-State Graphics. which allows him to split his time between the two jobs. Plus Shoupe purchased Adventureland during his first four years in office as Chairman.
As Chairman of the Houston County Commission, Brandon Shoupe’s attorney has refused to release the salary and benefits Shoupe receives as a full time County Commission Chairman. According to sources the salary is reported to be somewhere between $ 120,000.00 and $ 129,000.00 a year, plus retirement and health insurance.
Yet, checking both Houston County Administrative Building and Tri-State Graphics, Brandon Shoupe was at Tri-State Graphics on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, all day one recent week. That week the Commission Administrative Assistant was out due to a major surgery. Attempts to call the Houston County Commission Chairman Office, ten ( 10 ) times went unanswered.
Also Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe recently did an audit on the key fobs of Judges at the Houston County Courthouse. Reports are Brandon Shoupe threatened the Judges that he would release the key fob history if the Judges did not reduce the population of the Houston County Jail.
What Brandon Shoupe failed to realize, the Judges of the 20th Judicial Circuit cover Houston and Henry County. Shoupe failed to realize that Judges get woke up frequently because each search warrant by law enforcement, Dothan Police, Houston County Sheriff Department, ALEA – Troopers, ALEA – State Bureau of Investigation, Kinsey – Webb – Columbia – Gordon – Ashford – Cottonwood and Taylor Police, has to be signed by the Judges. Just this past Saturday night Kinsey Police had to wake up Presiding Circuit Court Judge John John Steensland for a search warrant to obtain blood from a motor vehicle accident with serious injuries. One night a Judge was woke up six times through the night for search warrants.
What Shoupe did not realize, with electronic filings, Judges will take items home and prepare orders because in the office they are constantly interrupted. And with electronic filings, attorneys file items 365 days per year, 24 hours per day.
A recent FACEBOOK post of Circuit Judge Chris Richardson, his case clearance rate was 100%: Circuit Criminal 147%; Circuit Civil 117%, Domestic Relations 126%; District Criminal 154%.
While everyone was off for Labor Day, either Sunday or Monday District Court Judge Benjamin Lewis was physically at the Houston County Jail holding 72 hour hearings. Even though it is a holiday, 72 hour hearings are required and a Judge has to physically go to the jail and hold them.
Those are some of the reasons checking on Shoupe. Because, honestly being paid to be a full time Commission Chairman and working another business during work hours is not honest. The workforce of Houston County would be terminated if they did the same as Chairman Shoupe.
In closing, the comments on FACEBOOK do not bother me. But one I do want to clear up. While I serve as a Deputy Coroner in Houston, Henry and Dale County, I am not a county employee. In Dale County, I am paid on a per call basis. In Houston and Henry County, I serve for free, In Houston County I drive my own car and pay for my own gas. Unless required to transport the body in Henry County, I drive my own vehicle. If transport, I drive the vehicle assigned to the Coroner.
In Houston County, the Coroner is not furnished a vehicle and I serve for free. Not paid anything. In fact I have now purchased my third pair of ONCLOUD shoes because on one death where the person had been dead for weeks, I stepped where body was laying when we picked the body up to place in a body bag. In another case, where the person had been deceased for a period of time and the room was dark, I stepped in maggots.
I realize that is gross, but explaining, I do not get paid anything nor do I ask for anything. It is a service to the Coroner and families of deceased. That hopefully I can play a small role in making a difficult time easier with truly compassionate service and steps to answer families questions. My desire is and has always been to serve others when needs arise, especially through emergency services.
Now, let the negative comments roll on.
