Sheriff Roger Deeds Letter to Citizens of Hood County

I would like to respond to the Hood County
News article titled “Unaccountable” in the
November 2nd, 2019 issue.
First, I support the HC News and their right
to say and print anything they choose. They
have a constitutional right being the “first
amendment” of the Constitution the United
States of America.
I took an oath of office when I became
Sheriff of Hood County, to faithfully execute
the duties of Sheriff of Hood County, of the
State of Texas, and to the best of my ability
PRESERVE, PROTECT, and DEFEND the Constitution and laws of the United States
and of Texas, SO HELP ME GOD.
I took this oath seriously and do not take
the responsibilities that come with it lightly.
Being Sheriff is a hard job, I work 7 days a
week, starting my mornings early and work
late into the night trying to make sure
things at the Hood County Sheriff’s Office
are running correctly. The burden is heavy,
and I must have good people working for
me that know how to do their job.
I have a “servant’s heart” attitude and
expect my employees to have the same. It’s
not about me it’s about serving the people
of Hood County and keeping them safe and seeing justice is done as Sheriff of Hood
County.
The issue with the HC News started when I
decided to support a local candidate
running for office.
I do not give political pressure and I do not
like receiving political pressure.
That is what strained my relationship with
the HC News.
I then decided the reporters from Hood
County News could complete open records
request through our records clerk instead of
calling my cell phone for information on a
call. Which is lawful and procedure minded.
In reference to the missing person case on
Jennifer Pautenis, I can assure you we take her case or any other missing person case
seriously. My Deputies and my Investigators
are competent and knowledgeable law men
and women. Just because we do not tell the
HC News details of the investigation, does
not mean we are not quietly working
behind the scenes following leads and
trying to find the missing person.
It is procedure to call the Texas Rangers to
assist in different types of cases we
investigate. They have more resources and
are very helpful when working a
complicated case.
Do we call them on every case? No, we do
not. Only when we feel the investigation
will benefit from the resources of the Texas
Rangers. I can assure you we are doing everything we
can to find Jennifer Pautenis.
People from out of state are making unfair
judgements of the Hood County Sheriff’s
Office and the County of Hood.
As for the issue of public safety, as Sheriff of
Hood County I am dedicated to serving the
citizens of Hood County. I will not tolerate
an employee that does not want to do his
or her job. Therefore, I have multiple ex-
employees that do not have a high opinion
of me or the Sheriff’s Office as a whole.
That is just the price of doing business as
Sheriff. I cannot control what they say or
how they feel about any given thing.
Supporting their “first amendment” right is more important than any feelings I have
that may get hurt doing the job as Sheriff.
I do not like “throwing mud” in an election
or arguing back in forth publicly over an
issue. I find it is a huge waste of time. I
choose to focus on serving the citizens of
Hood County and putting my energy into
the daily tasks of being Sheriff. You have my
word that I will continue to serve the
citizens of Hood County diligently. Because,
it’s not about me, it’s about your safety and
wellbeing that matters. I know that all
authority comes from God and He and only He decides who will be Sheriff today,
tomorrow, and forever.
God bless Hood County and God Bless
America.
Respectfully, Your Sheriff Roger Deeds