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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 31, 1992                   TAG: 9201310450
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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WHY ALL THE PRAISE FOR SHERIFF HONAKER?

IT BOGGLES my mind that everyone can sing Sheriff Marshall Honaker's praises and simply ignore the fact that he allegedly stole over half a million dollars from the taxpayers.

I realize that Marshall Honaker was a well-liked and respected man, but wake up, Bristol; if he did what he was accused of doing, he was a criminal. Actually, worse than your common criminal, because his job was to enforce the law and he allegedly used his position to break it.

He is praised for buying shoes for inmates who did not have any, but wasn't he in fact just buying these shoes with the money that was intended for their benefit in the first place?

I understand that in America a man is innocent until proven guilty, but I find it hard to believe that Honaker committed suicide because he was innocent. What is truly deplorable, in my opinion, is that Marshall Honaker did not face his accusers and take his punishment as a man, but chose the easy way out. CRISTI MENDOZA ROANOKE

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