Small Kentucky weekly holds sheriff's feet to fire

In southern Kentucky, a local sheriff has been making front-page news in the area's weekly newspaper, the Todd County Standard, for charges filed against him after an incident outside a store in neighboring Logan County. Since then, the story has been picked up by other newspapers in the state and elsewhere.

In the March 26-April 1 edition of the Standard (circ. 2,500), the top story was "Sheriff comes under fire." In that article, Ryan Craig reports:

A criminal complaint has been brought against Todd County Sheriff W.D. "Billy" Stokes by a disabled Logan County man who claims Stokes parked in a handicapped space at the Russellville Wal-Mart and then threatened to shoot him with a Taser when he asked Stokes to move.

Stokes told the Standard that he might have been parked improperly, but he only threatened to shoot the man with his Taser after he felt the man was "acting weird."

A week later, the story again dominated the front page of the Standard. In this April 2 update, Craig reports that Stokes had been charged with unauthorized parking in a handicapped zone, menacing and official misconduct. Alongside this story was the full transcript of the call placed by Dan Draper, the man who filed the complaint against Stokes, to the city's police dispatcher. The transcript began in the middle of the front page and ran on nearly half of two inside pages. The Standard also ran a column by Craig, which appeared next to his update on Stokes and the transcript on page one. In the column "Vendetta ... or just amnesia?" Craig writes:

I have been told that Sheriff W.D. "Billy" Stokes claims I, and my newspaper, have a vendetta against him.

To this I would respond with a question: Did he have a fall or get hit on the head?
Because I worry he must have a serious case of amnesia.

If I have a vendetta against him then how does he explain all the times this newspaper has called him to get his side of the story. (We'll get more into that later.)

No, Mr. Stokes, if anything I have taken serious criticism from your detractors that I'm too soft on you.

Ironically, I also take grief from your supporters who say I'm also unfair to you.

In the rest of the column, Craig recounts times the paper provided Stokes' side of the story, including times when he was given editorial space to respond in writing. The column, Craig explains, is a response to Stokes' appearance on WKDZ-FM in Cadiz. Stokes called the station right after Craig finished his weekly call-in report. "Because of who I am and the stand I'm trying to take for the right purposes here in Todd County I don't think that my story through Ryan Craig and his newspaper, the Todd County Standard, have been getting both sides," Stokes said. "It seems like it is hard for me to get my side of the story in with each issue that comes up with Mr. Craig so therefore I wanted to call and let you know the side of the story and anything you want to know about the incident I'll be glad to tell you." (The Standard is not online, but it does its own blog.)

This week, Stokes entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, an update which was reported in Logan County's twice-weekly newspaper, the News-Democrat & Leader, as well as by The Associated Press. (Read more)