When that bully you knew in high school becomes a sheriff's deputy

And we've all known the type

By now, you’ve probably heard about the tragedy that took place in Sangamon County, IL when a woman with mental health issues was fatally shot by a 30-year-old deputy. In a way, it’s a repeat of what happened to George Floyd and others, and the behavior of these “law enforcement officers” takes me back to my high school days.

Why, you ask? Because we’ve all seen the likes of now former deputy Sean Grayson when we were in school. In my case, there was one particular guy that stood out. He was a known bully, not much of a student, and took pleasure in his cruelty. The guy was in a summer school class I had to take because my guidance counselor failed to let me know I needed a world history course I’d not scheduled the previous year. The “Thug” as he shall be called, was in it because he failed the course and needed to try again to graduate.

I tried to avoid him, but we were assigned seats next to each other. One day, while the teacher—one of those sadistic coaches who taught other courses only because they were compelled— was droning on, the Thug was making conversation with another student. Coach Numbnuts whirled around and wanted to know who was disrupting his enlighted lecture. Thug pointed at me. I objected to no avail, and with Thug smirking in approval, I was promptly taken to the office and issued a “lick”. That dear reader, was the term they used for a paddle stroke and it felt like I got hit in the ass with a load of buckshot. Not sure when they got rid of corporal punishment in schools, but it was quite the rage in Austin in 1969.

Once summer school was over, I didn’t see Thug for some time. Then one late night coming back home, I made a rolling right turn at a stop sign. It was in the middle of nowhere in Westlake Hills. Suddenly, I see the flashing lights of a squad car in my rearview mirror. I was pulled over by none other than Thug, now wearing a sheriff’s deputy badge. And of course, he issued me a ticket, which I later beat in court.

Sociopaths like Thug and Sean Grayson, Sonya Massey’s killer, are cut from the same evil cloth with one goal—they want to be a legal bully with a badge and a gun. How goons like this get hired is disgraceful and negligent. According to the AP:

“Sangamon County hired Grayson in May 2023. Sheriff Jack Campbell interviews all candidates, although he said he can’t recall his sit-down with Grayson. Campbell was aware of the DUIs and said they don’t automatically disqualify someone from a law enforcement job.

Campbell said he knew of no complaints about Grayson from his previous jobs, including a disciplinary brush in the Logan County Sheriff’s Office in which he disobeyed an order to halt a high-speed chase. Grayson was certified in each job by state law enforcement authorities and Campbell sent him through the 16-week training academy for raw recruits, even though his previous training would have been sufficient.”

And then there’s the dishonorable discharge from the Army. How do these miscreants whose best attribute is they can fog a mirror get jobs? Yes, it’s a dangerous job that most don’t want to do and the pay isn’t that great. But that’s no excuse not to vet the ones like Thug and Grayson who probably would’ve taken the job for free.

To be sure, most members of law enforcement are not bullies with homicidal tendencies. I take every opportunity I can to thank those officers for putting their lives on the line every day.

But the next time you hear about an episode like this, examine the background. You’ll see that bully we all knew.

Like the Bullies We’ve all Known