Carroll County voters will make a decision in November that the courts will not address until afterward.
Following the January 20 Quorum Court meeting, Harrison Daily Times reporter Michael Gripp reported witnessing County Judge David Writer approach Eric Scheunemann and tell him, “I’ll kill you, you son of a [expletive].” Gripp later provided a witness statement to Berryville police.
This is no longer simply an allegation circulating in the community. Writer has since been charged with misdemeanor harassment arising from the incident. That charge is pending, and the trial is scheduled for after the November election.
A charge is not a conviction, and Writer is entitled to have the matter decided in court.
But voters will be asked to make their decision first. They deserve to know what remains unresolved before they do. The original newspaper reporting and court records are available. Read them. Consider Writer’s response as well. Then decide for yourself what weight, if any, this matter deserves.
Dianna Baird