Standing Strong with Sheriff Mark Butler: A Testimony of Integrity

I have known Sheriff Mark Butler for approximately 25 years and have worked alongside him for many of those years.  When he made the decision to run for sheriff of Warren County, I was behind him 100 percent. I did not live in Warren County at the time of his decision.

In the spring of 2019, my wife and I started looking for retirement homes in Warren County and settled in Bentonville in the summer.  Like most, we had read and heard about the corruption issues that troubled the Sheriff’s Office in coincidence with the EDA scandal. I have since seen the adverse effects that continue to plague the county.

When Sheriff Butler was campaigning prior to his election in 2019, some in the community were adamant about tarnishing his reputation. Realizing that this is politics and a certain amount of this was to be expected.  He was not part of the local police force, builders’ association, or one of the families that have a long, storied history in Warren County. This is nothing compared to what his family has had to endure during this re-election campaign.  Since day one, family and friends of his opponent have verbally attacked not only him but also his wife and children, spreading vicious rumors on social media. His opponent’s representatives went as far as to say Sheriff Butlers’ wife was having an affair and that they were participating in unscrupulous acts. One of the most disheartening facts about this situation is that your chief commonwealth attorney has joined in on the attacks on Sheriff Butlers’ personal and professional life. He even questioned a Sheriff’s Office administrative employee about the alleged affair.

To my knowledge, Sheriff Butler and his associates have not reciprocated the attacks personally or professionally and continue to be respectful and focused on the mission at hand. He believes that the job is difficult enough without dealing with inappropriate and unprofessional behavior.

I have never in my life witnessed such childish behavior by so-called adults and community leaders. People who we trust to conduct themselves with the utmost integrity and character. The moral compass of these individuals does not reflect well on themselves or the candidate they are supporting.

As a community striving to remove the tarnish of the past, it is incomprehensible why some community leaders wish to return to that way of life.  My only guess Is that Sheriff Butler has interfered with the ability of individuals to benefit from ill-gotten gains.  One of his many positive attributes, I know for a fact Sheriff Butler would not take a nickel off the street and would not be tempted to participate in any form of corruption.  I have seen his relentless effort to combat these issues within our community only stonewalled by judicial and civic leaders.

I firmly believe that most citizens of Warren County want to reside in a community where they can trust the leaders to do the right thing.  Those leaders are highly respected and can’t be swayed by the lure of illegal financial gain. I wholeheartedly believe Mark Butler is a man who cannot be bought and will continue to fight for what is right in our community. I have made the conscious decision to support Mark Butler’s re-election as your sheriff because of the efforts and improvements he has made within the Department, and I would like nothing more than his moving forward mission to continue in a positive direction for a second term.  Please join me in looking at the facts (not social media nonsense) and Vote for Sheriff Butler.

Eric Jones
Bentonville, VA

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