MARLIN, Texas — “And I care about Falls County citizens. That’s the only reason I’m running is because I see what’s going on in Falls County. It’s absurd to me what’s going on and it’s despicable,” said Falls County sheriff candidate John Reed.
“What I’ve learned throughout the state and border operations I want to put to good use here and make it more efficient and better for my family and everybody else’s family,” said sheriff candidate Jason Campbell.
Election season is here and voters in Falls County will be deciding who will serve as Falls County sheriff.
The investigation at the Marlin Animal Shelter – where dead and neglected dogs have been found – is at the top of mind for many citizens.
People in Marlin are continuing to protest due to what they say is a lack of communication from local law enforcement.
25 News' Madison Myers spoke with two candidates running for sheriff who told her how they believe the investigation should be handled.
“If I was in his position and I had staffing issues, well I would go down and investigate. If I had to personally go down and do the investigation myself I would make sure there was an investigation done, but we go back to staffing problems and that's a leadership issue,” Reed said.
“My administration would tackle the problem with a transparent investigation from beginning to end where citizens know what’s going on and that the appropriate actions have been taken. I would not hesitate to seek outside help,” Campbell said.
25 News also asked the candidates what other things they’d like to address.
“Having a more visible proactive patrol, I’d also like to tackle the drug problem,” Campbell said.
“When I get in office, I’m going to manage a budget that fits my police department. We gotta fix staffing issues, we don't have enough staff,” Reed said.
Current Sheriff Joe Lopez is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
To date, Sheriff Lopez has not been willing to discuss the investigation or calls to bring in the Texas Rangers to investigate.
