Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has withdrawn from consideration to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Chronister faced backlash from many people on the right, especially Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). You can also read the reactions to his X post.
The sheriff backed extreme COVID lockdowns in 2020.
In March 2020, Chronister’s officer arrested Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne for holding church services during the lockdown.
Howard-Browne faced two second-degree misdemeanor charges: unlawful assembly and violation of public health emergency rules.
A press release quoted Chronister as saying Howard-Browne’s “reckless disregard for human life put hundreds of people in his congregation at risk and thousands of residents who may interact with them this week in danger.”
Thank goodness authorities dropped the charges.
A month later, Hillsborough County deputies arrived at a house after reports of shots fired while people occupied it.
The shooters fled, but the authorities arrested Natalia Rodriguez Cuervo, owner of the property, for violating a COVID executive order, which ended vacation rentals.
Cuervo rented her property to people for two days.
“Alleged ignorance of the law is no excuse for not following it. Our deputies have worked for weeks to educate and encourage the public to follow the emergency orders,” Sheriff Chad Chronister stated at the time. “As I’ve stated continuously, we will continue to enforce the emergency orders, especially when blatant disregard for them puts the lives of others in danger. It is important that we hold those who violate the orders accountable, no matter who they are, so the sacrifice of so many is not wasted by the irresponsibility of the few.”
I’ve heard people say, “he was just following the law.”
Yeah, well, I remember plenty of sheriffs and other law enforcement agents choosing not to comply with stupid COVID rules and laws.
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