Friday, January 18, 2013
Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison joins other sheriffs across the country in heavily criticizing President Barack Obama's executive orders tightening gun restrictions.
Editor's note: the following is an opinion written by Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison. It does not in any way reflect the views and opinions of Patch. In the aftermath of the recent criminal events, the president, vice-president and many members of Congress are attempting to exploit the deaths of innocent victims by attempting to enact laws, restrictions; and, even through use of executive orders, prevent law-abiding American citizens from possessing certain firearms and ammunition magazines. As the duly-elected sheriff of Cherokee County, I want you to know and understand my position on this issue. I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. In Georgia, as in most states, sheriffs are elected constitutional officers. Duly …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
The head of Cherokee's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been with the county for 31 years.
Cherokee County emergency director Robby Westbrook, the man who everyone relies on when severe weather hits Cherokee County, said today that he will retire if David Waters defeats Sheriff Roger Garrison in the upcoming July 31 primary. "I know in my heart Sheriff Garrison will win this race, but if for some reason he doesn't, I will be retiring after 31 years of service to the county I love," he wrote on his Facebook page, a space he also uses to tell residents when to take cover, when they're in the clear, and what roads to avoid after thunderstorms, snowstorms and tornadoes have passed. The tenor of the race between Waters and Garrison has become negative in recent weeks. In late June, Waters said his campaign signs were vandalized. And …
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
"Those pictures do not represent the Roger Garrison of today or of that time," Cherokee Sheriff Roger Garrison said. "It was a stupid mistake made by a 21-year-old."
Four days after WSB-TV showed a nearly 30-year-old photograph of Cherokee Sheriff Roger Garrison at a Halloween costume party in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe, the county's top law enforcement official sat down with Canton-Sixes Patch this morning to tell his side of the story. Take a listen. Related content: For more local news, sign up for the free Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Monday, June 25, 2012
News outlets as far away as Britain have picked up the story.
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Monday, June 25, 2012
Google "Cherokee Sheriff Roger Garrison" and the top hits will mention the three letter acronym associated with a white supremacist group: KKK. Since Friday, when WSB-TV showed nearly 30-year-old photographs of Garrison at a Halloween costume party in a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe, the story has gone viral. MSN, Huffington Post, the New York Daily News—even the Daily Mail in Britain—have picked up the story. Attempts to reach Garrison have not been successful. He told WSB-TV and other news outlets that his decision to wear the costume was, in hindsight, stupid. He was 21 years old at the time. He and his friend decided to dress up as characters from Blazing Saddles, a film from the 1970s, he said. Garrison questioned the timing of the …
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
The Cherokee Sheriff is waiting until Andrew Messina's family has seen the GBI report.
The discussion at a Tuesday meeting between the District Attorney and Sheriff Roger Garrison is staying under wraps until the family of Andrew Messina, the 16-year-old killed by SWAT snipers in May, has seen the report. The meeting was to discuss a 2,000-page report from the GBI, and to determine if the DA would take any action, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Lt. Jay Baker with the sheriff's office said in a press release, "In regards to the meeting that occurred today between Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison and District Attorney Gary Moss, Sheriff Garrison will be making no further comment until the Messina family receives the GBI report which should occur within 48 hours." Messina's death also sparked the …
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Lodge 13 has backed Sheriff Roger Garrison's opponent.
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Cherokee County SWAT sniper didn't want to kill the 16-year-old, Capt. Joe Satterfield says, but "we can't control a suspect's actions."
Capt. Joe Satterfield had hoped to get through his whole career without having someone shot, let alone killed. But that hope ended Tuesday night when a sniper on Satterfield’s SWAT team fatally shot 16-year-old Andrew Messina after the boy stuck a .357 Magnum through the front-door glass at negotiators. “We can’t control a suspect’s actions,” said Satterfield, who heads the Cherokee County SWAT team. “We can only react to situations.” In a 911 call, Messina’s mother said her son was on Zoloft and another medication for his ADHD. The Etowah High School sophomore also reportedly had pointed the gun at his mother. He can be heard screaming and using profanity inside the house in the Eagle Watch subdivision while his mother stood on the back …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
This is the 911 recording from Lisa Messina, the mom of the 16-year-old boy who was shot by the Cherokee SWAT team Tuesday evening. Be advised that this material is mature and contains adult language.
Andrew Messina's mom called Cherokee 911 when her son threaten to kill them both in their Eagle Watch home in Towne Lake. Lisa describes her son's medications, past counseling, how he obtained the gun she believed to be locked in their home, what she said triggered his actions and how he threatened to kill them both to the 911 operator. Listen to the recordings divided into four segments above. For details about how the Etowah High School student was killed, check here: To watch a video interview from Cherokee Sheriff Roger Garrison as he explains how the incident occured, check here:
"Our worst fear is this young man gets free in that neighborhood with a loaded .357 magnum," said Sheriff Roger Garrison of the 16 year old who was killed after holding his mother hostage in Towne Lake.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office is grieving. "We are all grieving today," Sheriff Roger Garrison said. "This is the most tragic thing I think that has happened in my tenure, possibly my career," he said. Garrison recounts the events that took place in the Eagle Watch subdivision that lead to the death of 16-year-old Andrew Messina Tuesday evening, the day of the sheriff’s birthday, a day he said he wishes he could forget now. He begins with the Etowah High School student’s mom calling Cherokee 911 dispatchers at 5:50 p.m. describing her son as out of control holding her against her will with a loaded .357 magnum revolver in their home. Her husband, Messina's father, was not home at this time. Once deputies arrived on scene and were …
Kenneth M
4:03 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Concerned, you have put this whole thing in the proper prospective. According to FBI statistics there are many more crimes that are stopped by law abiding citizens with guns than crimes completed by criminals. In fact, according to those same statistics you are 300 times more likely to be killed by your own doctor than by a gun. Let us not forget the real reason for the Second Amendment to the … more ›