That’s all Forsyth County Sheriff Bill Schatzman has dealt with this week. Or not, depending on the point of view.
After being less than forthcoming with details about Forsyth County’s jail sex scandal, Schatzman takes more heat from Journal editorialists, who say the sheriff’s office has a bit of a communications problem regarding schoolhouse sex offenders.
It seems as though Deputy Dick Hughes, the school resource officer on the case, didn’t notify Winston-Salem police after he determined that sexual contact between substitute teacher Hubert Crosby and a student at Reynolds High School occurred off-campus. The main question, of course, why the police weren’t brought in from the beginning since Reynolds is within the city limits.
No matter, though. The lapse in time doesn’t make the sheriff’s department look too good:
Fault for this communications breakdown seems, once again, to be on the part of the sheriff’s office.
Such communication breakdowns aren’t unique to the sheriff’s office. For example, the school system could have done a better job in the Watson case. And for that matter, the entire system for protecting children from abuse and neglect in Forsyth needs better cooperation among its various agencies.
But this time, the sheriff’s office appears to be the main party at fault. Schatzman needs to correct this communications problem — now.
