Tracking Sex Offenders/Florence District Six

From a reader:

I was born in the Shoals and as a small child moved to Mississippi where my parents were originally from. My sister and I lived nearby our cousin and she became another sister to us. That was until one day she didn’t come home from school. I was too young to comprehend what was happening and my parents don’t talk about it to this day. My cousin was found alive, but she had been raped. Not long after this my aunt and uncle moved out west and my cousin went to live in a “school” for mentally troubled kids.

After I graduated from high school I came to UNA, met my husband, and have remained here ever since. I am and always will be a staunch advocate for strong(er) laws against pedophiles. Many months ago I registered at a news site to comment on a man named Derek Logue who is originally from North Alabama and who calls himself an advocate for sex offenders.

Some months passed and then one day I saw a post about my comment. Derek Logue had posted about me and two other people I had never heard of and stated we three were writers for Sholanda Speaks (this is the first thing I’ve ever written here) and someone had then posted a link to Logue’s blog in support of a young criminal, a man whose family lives near me in Killen. I wasn’t sure whether to be mad or afraid.

Since that time I have been in contact with the writers at Sholanda who promised to publish my story when they did another blog about Derek Logue. No one knows how many pedophiles like Logue are out there. I ask everyone to support the Sex Offender Registry. We can at least know who has already committed these horrible crimes even if we don’t know who will commit them in the future.

*****

We’ll admit we hadn’t thought very much about sex offender advocate Derek Logue until he recently commented on one of our Twitter posts. It seems in Logue’s twisted thought process, Wounded Knee wasn’t a military action.

So how is this Alabama native doing in the wilds of a cold and cruel Ohio where our tax dollars support him (he’s considered disabled because he can’t get a job due to being on the registry)?

According to Logue’s own words, his checking account is $200.00 in the hole and he needs money to fight a New York libel suit. Perhaps Logue will now think twice before he accuses a support organization for victims of sex crimes of misappropriating $25,000.00 in state funding. We’ll follow this lawsuit and let you know the results.

As for Logue’s accusations about the three individuals, not one of them writes here. One lives in central Alabama, another doesn’t even live in the Southeast, and the third has never contributed…until today. And the names listed in support of the young man our reader mentioned? Not one of the four writes here.

In fact, one of the four doesn’t even exist. We’ve recently learned that Chip Dillard has never been married and, therefore, has no ex-wife to blog “top secret” information. No matter what we think of Mr. Dillard’s current legal situation, we do sincerely thank him for the assistance and (non-classified) information he’s contributed over the years.

*****

Today we finish up Florence municipal elections; then on to Muscle Shoals. Let’s look at the candidates for District Six:

* Andy Betterton, the incumbent – Mr. Betterton hasn’t advanced the city in any areas, but neither has he slugged anyone or hired any of his relatives…that we know of. No, Andy seems to be a staunch follower of the status quo.

* Bob Hill Jr. – Mr. Hill was deep in the political game long before most of us were born. He may have some good, even great ideas, but is he prepared to serve three, or even two, terms in order to see them through? If Andy Betterton hasn’t been pushy enough in his role as council member, Mr. Hill has been described by many as overly pushy in his past political roles. Is there no hope for a happy medium?

* Jim Fisher – Mr. Fisher is a local businessman who served for a short time on the Florence School Board. A recent letter writer called him tech savvy; compared to the current city council, he’s in his prime—young enough to bring fresh ideas and energy to the council, but old enough to have a well established business that won’t interfere with council duties.

We sincerely hope that in a few short months Florence will have a new mayor. A new mayor deserves at least some new council members to bring innovation to our city. Our city has long been hampered by mediocrity. Jim is anything but mediocre; let’s give him a chance. We think you’ll be glad you did. We wholeheartedly endorse Jim Fisher for District Six.