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Gerald Hege |
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Gerald HegeGerald Hege was the controversial Sheriff of Davidson, North Carolina. He became famous for his highly eccentric behaviour, his internationally known Television show, and eventually for the charges of corruption that led to his resignation.Gerald Hege was elected in 1994 by a margin of 261 votes. One of his better known campaign slogans was "When I am elected Sheriff, I will wear a uniform every day and there will be no deals for anybody." Gerald Hege is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He is a Republican. He was born in rural Davidson, North Carolina in 1948. His personal patrol vehicle was a 1995 Chevrolet Impala with a Chevrolet Corvette engine and Nitrous Oxide tanks. His department lost it's insurance coverage when he boasted that he had driven the vehicle at speeds of up to 140 mph. The car was referred to as "The Spider Car" because of a custom paint job featuring a Black Widow Spider and the letters "DDT." The windows of this and all other patrol cars of the force were tinted dark black. Hege reinstuted the use of chain gang prisoner labor. He also removed the television sets and books, except for the bible from the prison. The prison was repainted in pink with weeping blue teddy bears. Prisoners also wore color coordinated jumpsuits to identify their offense: Blue for misdemeanors, green for sex offenders, and orange for felons. The jumpsuits were striped in the old fashioned manner as opposed to the modern solid color. He was also the star of a Court TV program titled "Inside Cell Block F." The show was filmed inside the jail, and the inmates were the studio audience. In addition, Hege appeared on "Larry King Live," "20/20" and "America's Most Wanted" among others. A Christmas card sent out by the Sheriff featured him in the desert wearing a black jumpsuit, with a bloody sword and the severed head of Osama bin Laden with the title "Happy Ramadan." Hege carried a Heckler & Koch MP5 instead of a service revolver. Hege kept the robes of eight former [Ku Klux Klan members whom he had convinced to retire. Hege merchandise items included posters, die-cast "spider cars," action figures, coffee mugs and barbecue sauce. All revenue from this merchandise and his TV appearances was donated to charity. On September 15th, 2003; Hege was charged with 15 felonies and suspended from office. The charges were five counts of embezzlement by a public officer, five counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of endeavoring to intercept oral communication, one count of aiding and abetting to endeavor to intercept oral communication and one count of aiding and abetting to obtain property by false pretenses.
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