Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Sheriff Mike Blakely

January 4, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QclVGUHvRvE

Sheriff Mike Blakely of Limestone, Alabama is, apparently, a fan of the old western TV show, “Have Gun Will Travel” that aired from the late ’50s to the early ’60s. So much so that he has a chess piece – a knight – engraved on his gun’s handle, just like the show’s main character had on his holster. Unfortunately, Sheriff Blakely’s lost his gun. He was recently out of the office for a month because of a bum knee. And when he got back in the office, he found his engraved gun, along with some cash, missing…

But as much as the sheriff may love his gun, he apparently didn’t care enough about it to, you know, lock it up. decaturdaily.com dishes the dirt:

Blakely usually carries the gun with him during work hours but said he probably left it on his desk underneath some papers while he was away. He hasn’t determined the amount of cash that was stolen.

He doesn’t seem to have been much more concerned about securing the cash in his office, either.

“At this point, we’re not sure if somebody cracked the code on the safe, or if, in haste, it could have been left open,” Blakely said.

But don’t worry, despite having been gone all that time, the local yokels are hot on the trail of the missing goods.

Chief Investigator Stanley McNatt said investigators are interviewing inmates that have trustee status. Trustees are allowed outside of the jail and are trusted with small jobs, such as cleaning offices.

“At this point in the investigation, we’re only interviewing inmates,” said McNatt, adding that no Sheriff’s Department employees are suspects. “It’s still very early in the investigation.”

So just to get the full picture here, Sheriff Blakely left his office unattended – an office where trustee inmates have the run of the place – for a month with his gun on his desk and the safe open. It almost makes Mayberry, where Otis the town drunk let himself in and out of jail when he needed to sleep one off, sound like Leavenworth.

We certainly hope Sheriff Blakely is able to recover his prized heater. But we we’re pretty sure the cash is gone for good. In the mean time, he can console himself with a shiny new IGOTD award. And we hope he’ll store it securely in his safe with the door actually closed and locked this time.

15 COMMENTS

ST January 4, 2012 At 09:00

The anti’s never seem to like admitting how gun control- assuming 100% civilian compliance -is doomed to fail in terms of stopping crime because criminals will simply buy or steal their firearms from the police.

One would almost get the impression those hoplophobes have no merit to their arguments.
- Derek January 4, 2012 At 16:27
  
  “…criminals will simply buy or steal their firearms from the police or military.”
  
  🙂
mccaveman January 4, 2012 At 09:04

Thats limestone county Alabama. (not TN)

And yea, calling Athens Alabama “Mayberry” is pretty close to true.

-J
- Dan Zimmerman January 4, 2012 At 09:10
  
  Corrected. Thanks.
pair-o-dee January 4, 2012 At 09:19

That was a great TV show, I remember it fondly:

http://www.thrillingdetective.com/paladin.html
Mikeb302000 January 4, 2012 At 09:27

Alabama, that’s wonderful.

But, I thought you guys keep telling me that only the thief is to blame when he steals a gun?
- Moonshine7102 January 4, 2012 At 09:34
  
  And I thought you and your friends keep telling us that cops and the military should be the only ones who have guns?
  - Anthony Meruelo January 4, 2012 At 13:30
    
    Put your fist up to your monitor. Internet bro-fist coming your way.
    - Moonshine7102 January 4, 2012 At 13:34
      
      Lol, done.
  - Mikeb302000 January 5, 2012 At 03:13
    
    Actually Moonshine, the truth is that you guys are continually harping on individual responsibility – except when to do so is inconvenient.
    
    I, on the other hand, never said only cops should have guns. I said only QUALIFIED people should have guns, which by my definition would probably eliminate 50% of you.
    - TSgt B January 5, 2012 At 14:02
      
      Well, the , Mikey, just what would your list of “qualifications” be comprised of? I’d really like to know. Aside from Small Arms Expert rating for 20 years of military service, annual qualification (minimum – expert) for more than a decade with civilian police departments, NRA certified Firearms Instructor, more than 50 years of shooting experience, Top Secret and Nuclear Surety security clearances, and at least 2 comfirmed cases of legitimate, defense-related shootings, what other qualifications who one such as myself require?
      
      And BTW, WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS?
- Joe nobody January 4, 2012 At 13:29
  
  I just wanna point out that any law requiring lowly peasant gun owners to lock up there guns would have no effect here seeing as how he is not civilian.
- JOE MATAFOME January 4, 2012 At 16:55
  
  The thief is responsible for stealing the gun, but leaving your gun out in the open is really dumb. I guess if I leave my keys in the car and some scumbag steals it, then I’ll learn to be more careful. Everyone should also be able to leave there home unlocked or keys in the car, but since criminals have no respect for other peoples property we have to lock things up.
  - Ralph January 4, 2012 At 23:01
    
    Do ya think that someone would steal mikey? ‘Cause maybe we need to lock him up.
MlrAnd August 7, 2021 At 01:42

Suspicious. Why was this never big news? How does a gun toter not go back for said gun? And wasn’t someone killed with the lost gun!? Who goes inside a sheriff’s office and steals gun and money? Nobody.