A sheriff has come under fire after he was filmed spewing racial insults after seeing his girlfriend and the mother of his children talk to an African-American store worker.
In the leaked 5-minute footage, which was secretly recorded by Desiree Middlebrooks, Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright was heard calling her a “n***** lover” and using the N-word nine times after seeing her speak to a store employee.
While Middlebrooks defended herself saying it wasn’t a big deal, Wright responded by shouting: “It is a f***ing big deal. People see me and then they see you talking to n******.”
After the girlfriend suggested she doesn’t know why he’s “so mad” at her, Wright responded by saying: “Why you got to holler at f***ing n****** when I’m around.”
Following months after the racist tirade, the footage leaked and started making rounds on the internet whereas people called for the sheriff to resign immediately.
While the sheriff acknowledged he was the one to make those comments and apologized for his actions, he insisted he doesn’t condone racism.
During a special Quorum Court meeting, Wright was urged to resign by a series of officials and community members.
Rather than resigning right away, the sheriff blamed his actions on the devil and maintained that he was angry at his girlfriend at the time because he had allegedly missed the funeral of his Black friend.
“I’m a Christian man. I read my bible every day. I am by no means a racist. That video does not show the true picture of me,” Wright insisted.
While the sheriff refused to resign at first, he eventually caved in under the pressure of the large attendance and agreed to step down from his position effective immediately.
“Todd, I’ve known you all my life. You need to take that badge and [place] it on that table and walk out of here Todd. You know I love you, but you screwed up. Lay that badge down, lay that gun down and walk out of here,” Bobby Webb, Wright’s former colleague, told the sheriff moments before Wright laid down his badge.
It is believed that Wright and his girlfriend have broken up following the incident, whereas Middlebrooks changed her status to ‘single’ on Facebook.
Replaced!