St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz says the impromptu press conference was just as shocking to him as the public. At the request of State Police, Higgins put together a video about seven suspects who have been on the run since last fall, accused members of the Gremlins Gang and under indictment on conspiracy charges.
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Higgins’ future, he says he has options and will remain a constable.
His announcement comes on the heels of some controversy surrounding the most recent video Higgins made about fugitives – which was not on behalf of Crime Stoppers. “I will not kneel to violent street gangs, I will not kneel to murderers or the parents who raised them”. That distinction goes to Higgins’ own boss, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz.
Clay Higgins said on the steps of the St. Landry Parish Courthouse on Monday he was resigning as a captain in the Sheriff’s Office “as a matter of conscience”, citing his faith as a primary motivator for moving on, reports CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans. The sheriff didn’t ask for my resignation. “And if you raise your weapon to a man like me, we’ll return fire with superior fire”, Higgins says in the segment aired on KATC-TV. “I will not kneel to a discredited wanna-be black activist that doesn’t really have the best interest of his people in mind”. “I will not knee to bureaucrats in Baton Rouge or Washington or anywhere else”.
Guidroz added that Higgins appeared on the cover of local magazine in full dress uniform – a direct violation of department policy. “First of all, I repeatedly told him to stop saying things like, ‘you have no brain cells, ‘ or making comments that were totally disrespectful and demeaning”.
Guidroz said his office had to be “professional, on point and truthful” when addressing the public and that it was his duty to ensure these standards were met, KLFY reported.
Along with Higgins, appearing in the video were members of various law enforcement agencies in the area and leaders in the black community of St. Landry Parish.
Identifying one of the men by name, he said, “Darren Carter, you think men like these are afraid of an uneducated, 125-pound punk like you that’s never won a fair fight in your life and holds your gun sideways?”
“As a soldier, if I cannot conscientiously carry out my orders, then I must resign my post”, said Higgins.
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That July video has nearly 2 million views on YouTube alone. I’m not going to get into a debate about the semantic meanings of words, ‘ Higgins said. “It is the job of law enforcement to protect those rights while also keeping our communities safe”.
