[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 22, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10729-S10730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO GOODLOE AND JEAN SUTTON

 Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President I rise today to pay tribute to an 
Alabama couple who, in their persistent pursuit of justice, 
successfully raised awareness of illegal activities taking place in 
Marengo County in some of the highest levels of county government. 
Goodloe and Jean Sutton, who together head The Democrat-Reporter--
Goodloe serves as editor and publisher and Jean as chief reporter--
remind us of what the Fourth Estate is all about. Through their 
thorough and diligent coverage of questionable activities in the 
Marengo County Sheriff's office, former Sheriff Roger Davis was 
convicted on federal extortion charges; Sonny Breckenridge, who had 
been appointed by Sheriff Davis to lead the county's drug enforcement 
unit, was sentenced to life without parole for conspiring to protect 
drug dealers. Another deputy was also arrested. All are serving jail 
time for the deeds the Suttons helped to uncover.
  Goodloe and Jean Sutton are to be commended. Not only have they 
helped to rid the Marengo County Sheriff's office of misdeeds and 
rampant corruption, but they have helped to restore the public faith in 
local government. They have also set an exemplary standard for others 
in the profession of journalism where truth should always be the 
highest and most important pursuit and consideration.
  In addition to my statement, Mr. President, I believe it is fitting 
to include the following article about the Suttons, entitled ``Paper 
Tigers,'' that appeared in the September 28, 1998 edition of People 
Magazine.
  I ask that the article be printed in the Record.
  The article follows.

                 [From People Magazine, Sept. 28, 1998]

  Paper Tigers--Newshounds Goodloe and Jean Sutton Get the Goods on a 
                          Lawbreaking Sheriff

                  (By Peter Ames Carlin and Grace Lim)

       From where they sat in the tiny newsroom of The Democrat-
     Reporter in rural Linden, Ala., Goodloe and Jean Sutton 
     sensed there was something wrong about Roger Davis. Not only 
     did the sheriff of Alabama's rural Marengo County (pop. 
     25,000) sell jewelry out of the trunk of his police car but 
     he seemed to enjoy throwing his weight around. ``Davis 
     thought being sheriff made him all-powerful,'' says Jean. 
     ``He was impressed with himself.''
       But the Suttons were not, so when they learned that Davis 
     had skimmed money from the county, they featured the story in 
     their family-owned weekly newspaper. Ignoring threats and 
     boycotts by the sheriff's cronies for more than three years, 
     the couple kept on writing until Davis and two of his 
     deputies had earned jail terms and the modest, six-employee 
     paper had earned Pulitzer Prize consideration and a wall full 
     of journalism trophies. ``To take on the sheriff, the most 
     powerful political leader in a rural county, is beyond 
     gutsy,'' says Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor, who 
     investigated the crooked sheriff.
       Sheriff Davis, now 57, started dipping into the county till 
     in 1991, a year after the retired Alabama state trooper was 
     elected to his $35,000-a-year post. First he used public 
     money to buy his teenage daughter a $3,000 all-terrain 
     vehicle for Christmas, only later returning to the dealer to 
     pay with his own money. Davis funneled county dollars into 
     his account for several years, then extorted more than 
     $20,000 from bail bondsmen who had been operating illegally 
     without the required financial reserves. He wasn't subtle 
     about it. ``If he could control you by fear, he'd do it,'' 
     says Goodloe. ``Or if he could do you a favor, he'd expect 
     you to repay him. And he charmed people too.''
       Operating on a tip in early 1994, Jean Sutton first dug 
     into the county financial records and discovered that $9,000 
     in public funds delivered to Davis had never made it to the 
     office account. The Suttons ran the story as front-page news, 
     eliciting a denial from the sheriff. ``He told people he was 
     a good Christian,'' says Jean. ``When they asked why he 
     didn't sue us for libel, he'd say, `I prayed over it, and it 
     wasn't the right thing to do.' ''
       Although Davis (who declined People's request for an 
     interview) dodged those first editorial bullets, battle lines 
     were drawn. Many of his supporters canceled their 
     subscriptions to The Democrat-Reporter, cutting its 
     circulation 20 percent from 7,500 to 6,000, and some local 
     businesses pulled their advertisements. ``As far as I know, 
     he did a good job sheriffing while he was in office,'' says 
     retired store owner Gaines Williamson, who once backed the 
     sheriff. ``Everybody knew him. We'd chitchat over a couple of 
     coffee.'' Some Davis partisans felt so strongly they even 
     phoned the Suttons, threatening to blow up the family van. 
     ``Remember,'' one letter assured them, ``your day will 
     come.''
       For Goodloe, 59, the chance to take down a crooked sheriff 
     was worth the tension. The youngest of three kids born to 
     publisher Robert Sutton, who bought The Democrat-Reporter in 
     1917, and his wife, Lorie, Goodloe first set type at the 
     family newspaper when he was 12. He met aspiring writer Jean 
     Rodgers, daughter of Will and Mary, while studying journalism 
     at the University of Southern Mississippi, and the couple 
     married after graduating in 1964.
       Moving home to Linden, Sutton succeeded his father as 
     editor and publisher of The Democrat-Reporter and installed 
     Jean, now 57, as chief reporter. The couple--who have two 
     sons, Goodloe Jr., 27, who works for the state Republican 
     Party, and William, 14, a high school freshman--gained a 
     reputation as uncompromising journalists. ``Goodloe can sell 
     a paper, that's for sure,'' says cement-company foreman Jerry 
     Stewart. ``There's a lot of controversy, which makes for 
     interesting reading.''
       The Democrat-Reporter became even more interesting in May 
     1997, when two sheriff's deputies were arrested by federal 
     and state agents for conspiring to protect drug dealers--one, 
     Sonny Breckenridge, who was sentenced to life without parole, 
     had been appointed by Davis to lead the county's drug 
     enforcement unit. Meanwhile, with the Suttons' articles 
     pointing the way, the state and federal authorities began 
     closing in on the sheriff. By August of last year, Davis too

[[Page S10730]]

     was behind bars, caught in a joint state and FBI sting while 
     squeezing a $975 payoff from an illegal bondsman. Two months 
     later, he pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges; he was 
     assessed $30,000 in fines and restitution. ``I would like to 
     apologize to my family, my friends and my church and to the 
     people of Marengo County,'' the sheriff said en route to 
     prison, where he'll serve 27 months. ``I'm sorry.''
       Although their circulation has yet to rebound fully, the 
     Suttons vow to continue in Marengo County whether their 
     future holds trophies or threats. ``We're just humble 
     scribes,'' says Goodloe, who is also running to represent the 
     region in Alabama's House of Representatives. ``And we have 
     the best turkey hunting, the best deer hunting and the best-
     looking women in the country. Why would anybody want to go 
     anywhere else?''

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