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

DATE: FRIDAY, April 14, 1995                   TAG: 9504140030
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

BEDFORD DEPUTY TO RETIRE

The 53-year-old veteran Bedford County sheriff's deputy announced this week that he will not run for sheriff this fall and plans to retire within the next couple of months.

"I've had a wonderful 321/2 years, but it's just time to go," he said Thursday at the county courthouse, where he handles security. "I've been damaged politically, and I'm just tired of being beaten up in the media constantly."

Last month, Laughlin picked his wife up in a squad car, taking her from the scene of a one-car accident. State police, who found beer containers in the car and suspected alcohol may have been involved, ceded the investigation to the sheriff's office when the Laughlins wouldn't cooperate.

The sheriff's office said it wasn't investigating, because the state police should.

Early this year, Laughlin said he probably would run for sheriff. The publicity from the accident changed his plans, he said, though he added that neither he nor his wife did anything wrong.

If Laughlin had run, he likely would have gotten no support from Sheriff Carl Wells. Laughlin and Wells have been on the outs for years.

A well-known figure in Bedford, Laughlin has worked security for some of the county's most notorious court cases, including those of Elizabeth Haysom and Jens Soering, University of Virginia honor students who were convicted in connection with the 1985 murder of Haysom's parents.

Laughlin said he had no immediate plans, but he would not return to law enforcement.

So far, only two candidates have announced in the sheriff's race: Doug Maynard, an investigator in the Roanoke and Bedford public defender's offices; and Mike Brown, an international security consultant.

Many others have said they are considering running, including Lt. Vernon Goode, who oversees the county jail in Moneta.

Wells has yet to say whether he will run, though insiders say he will not.