Ohio judge tells citizens to arm themselves

Judge Alfred Mackey of Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court has told the residents in his Ohio county to arm themselves after budget cuts trimmed local deputies by half.

The financial crisis in Ashtabula County has forced the Sheriff's Department to be cut down to 49 deputies from the 112 they had just last month. The remaining deputies will have to do all the same duties resulting in one patrol car covering the entire county of 720 square miles. Not only have the deputies been cut in the Ohio county but prisoners as well. The local jail can house up to 140 prisoners but because of reductions in the prison staff are down to just 30. There is a 700 person waiting list for the criminals to get into the jail. When asked if there were any violent offenders on the waiting list Sheriff Billy Johnson told digtriad.com,"There probably are," but I'm telling you, any known violent criminal, we're housing them. We've got murderers in there." Is there any wonder then that a local judge told residents to arm themselves because of the cuts? “I said maybe law-abiding citizens need to consider getting a firearm because it’s going to be dangerous out there, and that’s what concerns me,” Judge Mackey told the Star Beacon. He added his concerns about later this year, “I’m really concerned with the summer coming, what’s going to take place,” Mackey said. “DUIs, domestic violence. They are all out there.”