Millboro Ruritan Club Hosts Debate For Bath County Sheriff Candidates

Millboro, VA – On Tuesday October 18, the Millboro Ruritan Club hosted a debate for the candidates for Sheriff of Bath County. The event was held at Millboro Elementary School and all four candidates attended, S. Todd Frye, J. L. Pete Minetree, III, R. Larry Norfleet and Robert W. Plecker.

In this story you’ll hear two candidates responding to the question: What experience do you have that makes you the best qualified candidate for Sheriff and how much law enforcement experience will you bring to the job?

Pete Minetree – “I started out in the Coast Guard on a patrol boat for four years. Left the Coast Guard and went into the Army and served twenty some years in the Army, counter intelligence, intelligence, terrorism, counter terrorism. I have a tremendous background in those areas and up until ten years ago, we didn’t need that kind of expertise here in this county. We need it today. Ever since the events of 9/11 there’s not a jurisdiction, in the 3500 jurisdictions in the United States, that don’t need to be concerned about terrorism, both our own local terrorists and transnational terrorists from overseas. So with my counter intelligence, counter terrorism background, I’m going to bring that to law enforcement here in this county. I’ve spent years as Army Special Operations. I’ve also worked both CIA, worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms very closely, The National Intelligence Council and I worked with all Federal Law Enforcement agencies. For the last ten years I’ve been teaching Homeland Security and Emergency Management to Special Agents from all the Federal agencies. I know how to work with them both state and federal level. I certainly know how to work with them at the local level. There will be a lot of that kind of coordination going on if I’m the Sheriff. Most importantly, I’ve got a whole platoon of good deputies here in the county. They know the county, they know the people and they’re going to get to know them better. So they’ll be better trained, better equipped and better able to serve you.”

Larry Norfleet – “I came to Bath County in 1995. I started my career with the Virginia State Police in 1978. I retired in 2007, with almost thirty years with the Virginia State Police. I retired as a Master Trooper. I was the only Master Trooper in Bath County until recently. That was a pretty prestigious rank in the Virginia State Police. I’ve worked all over the state. I worked at the Pentagon after the plane hit. I have done an FTO as a field training officer with the Virginia State Police and I have been your Sheriff for the last four years. And I have given you a 110% of me for the last four years.”

A story with the responses from the other two candidates aired previously on Allegheny Mountain Radio. You can hear that story, as well as this one, at this website.