Shook hires new chief deputy
By Carla Gwaltney Owens

Sheriff Joe Shook talks to the Clay County commissioners, Harry Jarrett, center, and Hub Cheeks, right, about his plans for the department.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Department has hired a new Sheriff’s Deputy following approval of a request by Sheriff Joe Shook to the Clay County Commission on Thursday. Thirty-year North Carolina Highway Patrol veteran Jerry Hall was hired by the Sheriff’s Department Monday to serve as Chief Deputy for the Clay County Sheriff’s Department. Hall most recently served three years with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and also served three years with the Marshal Service providing security for the federal court.

Sheriff Shook told Commissioners Thursday evening at their regular monthly meeting that he had to have an additional deputy if he was to fulfill the duties of his job properly.

Since taking office at the end of November, Shook said he has spent many long hours at the Sheriff’s Department simply answering the phone and dealing with administrative matters. In order to make the changes he sees as necessary for the Sheriff’s Department to fulfill their obligations to the county, Shook told the commission that he needs another officer and patrol car.

“I’m spending 12 to 14 hours a day now just to keep all the people moving at the office ... and 6 hours a day is just answering the phone and greeting citizens that come into the office,” Sheriff Shook commented to the commission. “To build an office to fit our needs and to serve the people better ... and to handle (the county’s) growth I need more help.”

Specifically, Shook said the additional help would come in the form of a chief deputy he could delegate the task of office administration to on a daily basis, freeing Shook up to concentrate on the law enforcement needs of the county. Having a chief deputy, Shook said, will free him up to be out in the community more doing what he has been elected to do — serve Clay County — while the chief deputy will see to the day to day affairs of the office.

Shook told the Sentinel that he believes there is a misconception of the duty that the Sheriff’s office is to perform. “There is a misconception about the office,” he commented. “We have four specific obligations to the community. The first is to keep the peace. The second is to oversee and maintain the jail, the third is to supply security for the courts, and the fourth is to serve all papers — civil and criminal.”

Shook said that traffic patrol is not a primary function of the office. “Traffic is not their obligation,” he added, saying that deputies do watch for motor vehicles that are endangering the community, such as drunk drivers, but that they do not have speed timing devices.

Deputies have performed three DUI arrests since he took office Nov. 24th,

Shook added, in addition to some drug arrests. The job of watching for dangerous drivers and issuing DUI’s, Shook added, falls under the departments obligation to keep the peace. Shook added that under the obligation of keeping the peace falls the time consuming effort of the Sheriff’s drug operation which is a 24-hour-a-day, sevenday a-week job that never ends.

Shook stated that he will be focusing his attention to these four obligations as he fulfills his duties as Sheriff.

Newly elected Commission Chairman Hub Cheeks said that he believed the people of the community have voiced an opinion that they would like to have some newer methods implemented at the Sheriff’s office, adding that Sheriff Shook’s request looks like a step in that direction. The three commissioners unanimously voted to approve the request for a new deputy to be hired by Shook. During Thursday’s meeting, County

Manager Paul Leek told commissioners that it would take an additional $59,000 for this fiscal year to add the position. The price includes salary, benefits, a vehicle and fuel.

However, Leek said that following the commissioners approval of the Sheriff’s request he was able to turn in the three oldest patrol cars (2003 models) which the county leased and due to the late model years of the cars he was able to lease four cars for the price he had leased the three original patrol cars.

Thus, a patrol car for the new deputy was purchased at no additional cost. Leek added that the current budget already included the cost of leasing three new vehicles so no budget increase will be necessary for the vehicle purchase. The total addition to the Sheriff’s budget for this year will only be $32,000 to cover the cost of the new deputy’s salary and benefits, Leek said.

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