Sheriff Hatcher, your leadership is toxic. Resign so Benton County can heal | Editorial

Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher goes to work knowing his employees want him gone. How he stomachs such a wretched situation when he is in the office, we don’t know.

But somehow he is able to tolerate the toxicity in his department. Perhaps if you are the source of the problem, the stress is easier to bear.

Unfortunately, the hostile working environment is taking its toll on staff, and this week Benton County commissioners agreed to find mental health counselors for the sheriff’s employees.

The need for this is alarming.

Sheriff’s deputies must be able to remain calm and alert in order to focus out in the field. Hatcher knows this.

If he cares at all for the safety of his employees and the public, he will resign and move on with his life instead of staying on and emotionally crippling his staff.

But so far, he has refused to leave — even with a recall petition underway and mounting disapproval from former friends and supporters.

It makes us wonder if he, in some twisted way, relishes the fight.

If that’s the case, he should know there is no way this situation goes in his favor if he tries to keep his post.

If he leaves now, with the community’s best interest at heart, Hatcher might retain some shred of dignity.

If he stays, Hatcher will put the county through a terrible ordeal — regardless of whether or not the recall petition moves forward.

Hatcher’s leadership began to crumble last fall soon after he was accused of assaulting his estranged wife. Hatcher vehemently denied the accusation, and the case was eventually dropped without prejudice, which means it could be filed again.

But somehow the story, once revealed, sparked a mounting list of other grievances against Hatcher that ultimately led to the recall effort.

That included the Benton County Deputy Sheriff’s Guild taking a vote of no confidence in their boss last February, calling Hatcher a “tyrant” and “oppressive dictator” who lashes out at his employees and demeans them. Union members said at the time that they lived in fear of intimidation and retaliation.

It also was revealed that several female county employees outside the sheriff’s office had in the past filed formal complaints against Hatcher.

Since the sheriff’s position is an elected post, the only way to remove him from office is for Benton County citizens to vote him out.

That effort is being led by Sgt. Jason Erickson who filed the recall petition, which accuses Hatcher of committing 26 violations of state law and the sheriff’s oath of office. A Superior Court judge must determine if the allegations are factually and legally sufficient to support the recall.

If the recall goes ahead, then Erickson has six months to gather enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot in a special election. And the tension in the sheriff’s office surely will get worse.

If it turns out the judge drops all the accusations leveled against Hatcher, then the county is stuck in horrendous limbo until 2022 when he is up for re-election. And again, the tension in the sheriff’s office surely will get worse.

Disturbingly, Hatcher appears to have dug in his heels, and even had the gall to ask that the county pay his legal fees as he fights the recall effort.

The recent “hell no” response to that request from Benton County Commissioner Shon Small indicates that Hatcher’s longtime allies are even turning against him.

Small, a former Benton County deputy sheriff who used to work with Hatcher, unabashedly backed him when he first ran for the sheriff’s job in 2017. Small even sided with Hatcher last fall when the other commissioners voted to take the jail away from him.

But as Hatcher’s abusive behavior has come to light, Small is distancing himself from the troubled sheriff, saying Hatcher has tarnished his badge.

At one time, Hatcher seemed a decent leader. But that perception is no more.

We are asking you again, Sheriff Hatcher, to resign. If you leave now there is a chance the public may believe you stepped down because you had some thought for others.

Stay, and it appears your concern is only for yourself.

This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 4:00 AM.