An interview with BJ Barnes, former sheriff of Guilford County, North Carolina, whose officers busted suspected Trump shooter Ryan Routh multiple times over the years. Read more about Routh's extensive criminal history here.
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Baker: Have you had any personal interaction with Ryan Routh?
Burns: I personally never did it, but a lot of my peers did, as there were over 100 charges and arrests. He was a pretty notorious figure among my peers.
Baker: Why has Routh never served time in prison, even though he has been arrested, charged with, and convicted of felonies so many times?
Barnes: Guilford County and the surrounding Greensboro area have historically been very liberal. The courts here prefer to convict everyone of minor offenses rather than convict real criminals.
Baker: But he had a number of criminal charges against him. Surely there must have been a tipping point where the court felt he should receive a prison term?
Burns: Some people might think so.
Baker: What about the 2002 “weapons of mass destruction” standoff?
Burns: It was primarily a standoff with the Greensboro Police Department, but my department was on the scene assisting. The weapons charge was reduced to a concealed carry violation, and Routh got off with a lighter sentence.
Baker: In a liberal area like Greensboro, especially a serious weapons charge like this, politically, it would seem that they would feel that a serious weapons offense like this needs to be dealt with tough, to make an example of Mr. Routh. Why not take that approach?
Burns: That's a very good question. At least the charges for weapons are [in 2002] He should have been turned over to federal authorities.
Baker: You've retired from the Guilford County Sheriff's Department, but are there any good people left who can give you access to records or talk to you?
Burns: Nobody is going to talk to you. That's the real problem. Besides me, there have been six other conservative sheriffs in North Carolina who were all taken out at the same time by political attacks. That's what really worries me about this upcoming election cycle. If they've done it once, they can do it again.
Baker: Was Soros money used against you or other conservative sheriffs?
Burns: Absolutely.
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B.J. Barnes retired five years ago. His latest fiction book is “A fool, a clown, and a traitor.”
