MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has stopped posting mugshots, a move Sheriff John Fuson said was influenced by his own family experience.
"I have heard from citizens who have shared their stories and concerns with this practice, and how it has and continues to negatively impact them and their families," Fuson wrote in a statement Wednesday.
The controversy here is not so much about the decision to stop posting booking photos, but the timing of the decision.
Many are claiming Sheriff Fuson made this decision because a member of his own family is about to face a potential criminal charge and receive a booking photo.
NewsChannel 5 talked to Sheriff Fuson by phone this afternoon to ask him if that was true.
"Anybody can be accused of anything at any time. My daughter has not been arrested," he said.
But the sheriff did not deny that his daughter is under investigation or could be facing some legal trouble, and he said that possibility did help to influence his decision to pull the mugshot feature from the sheriff's website.
"If you had that perspective — if your child or your mother or your uncle or aunt was being accused of something and an investigation ensues what would you do to protect that person? I know that a normal person would do anything in their power to do."
NewsChannel 5 has learned at the request of District Attorney General Robert Nash, TBI special agents are investigating the actions of Sarah Fuson, Sherrif Fuson's daughter.
They said it's in relation to a reported instance of suspected child abuse that occurred at her place of employment, a daycare center in Montgomery County. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Montgomery County Commissioner Jason Knight for District 2 thinks regardless of the reason, it's the right thing to do.
“If people have evidence that proves it then it’s possible that he should come out and say something to kind of alleviate problems issues and rumors," Knight said.
The sheriff says he's been considering pulling the mugshots for quite some time now.
But he did admit to NewsChannel 5 that whatever situation his daughter is facing did influence his decision now.
"Your eyes are opened more. It hurts me that I didn't have that deeper more personal connection to how those families felt earlier. They've asked me what would I do if it was my daughter. And I told them I know my kids. I know we would do anything to protect our kids. If my daughter was in a situation like that it brings more perspective to it, a more personal perspective."
The sheriff indicated to NewsChannel 5 that whatever he's dealing with in his family has given him more empathy for what others have faced when it comes to booking photos made public.
Would he have still removed the mugshot if there was no personal connection?
Sheriff Fuson says yes — it was going to happen.
Knight has been pushing for the removal of the mugshots for several years.
"They may have made a mistake in their life and who knows maybe they will want to change down the line. They’ll have that hanging over their head for the rest of their life essentially," Knight said.
