Local

‘I will not help you;’ Sheriff’s office lieutenant says he won’t help Harris voters in social posts

CLARK COUNTY — A local sheriff’s office lieutenant said he would not protect people who voted for Kamala Harris in social media posts that had a lot of people concerned.

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Clark County Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant John Rodgers has worked at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office for more than 20 years and currently serves as the Road Patrol Supervisor, but recent posts have him, and the department, in hot water.

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Rodgers made posts that he would factor in a person’s voting record, in regard to the presidential race, when responding to calls. Some of those posts have been shared more than 250,000 times.

In a series of posts shown on News Center 7 at 5:00, Rodgers said things like “I am sorry. If you support the Democrat Party I will not help you” and “The problem is that I know which of you supports the Democratic Party and I will not help you survive the end of days.”

Another post indicated people would need to “provide proof of who you voted for” if they asked Rodgers for help.

News Center 7 reached out to the sheriff’s office on Friday and Chief Deputy Mike Young sent a statement about their investigation into the posts.

“It is understood that while these comments are highly inappropriate, they in no means reflect the Clark County Sheriff’s Office delivery of service to ALL our community and does not reflect the mission and values of the Sheriff’s Office. The community has a right to be upset over the actions of Lt. Rodgers and he, as well as the Sheriff’s Office in general, will have to work even harder to replenish the trust of members of our community,” the statement read in part.

The statement referenced a possible medical issue involved in Rodgers’ actions.

News Center 7 also obtained the investigative file and discovered in an inter-office communication with supervisors, Rodgers wrote, “I do not remember writing these posts or deleting any posts.”

Rodgers also wrote that he had been prescribed sleep aids by his doctor to help with a sleeping disorder.

“It does cause some of my communication to be ‘out of character’ which is a documented side effect,” Rodgers wrote.

The department apologized for Rodgers’ behavior and said he received a written reprimand for a violation of the department’s social media policy and will remain on duty.

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