The man arrested at June’s Putnam County Commissioners Meeting said the Sheriff’s Office escalated the situation leading to his arrest.
Tyler Strode charged with assault against a first responder, disrupting a public meeting, and resisting arrest. Strode, along with several members of local Democratic organizations, attended Monday’s County Commission meeting. The Putnam County Young Democrats Vice President said he was met with aggression and force by the deputy.
“I came down to the desk with the intention of encountering my county commissioners that I’ve been corresponding with in emails, unsuccessfully, because they weren’t responding and answering,” Strode said. “So, I decided to introduce myself and meet them here at last month’s meeting. It didn’t go quite too well as you’ve seen.”
A statement from the Sheriff’s Office said Strode was intercepted by deputies after an attempt to move past them to the Commissioners’ desk. Strode said it does not take that long to move to the desk, and the situation should not have been escalated.
Strode said the Democrats attended the meeting to discuss contracts between the Sheriff’s Office and ICE, which allows the department to check if people they arrest are in the country legally or not. Strode said he wanted to explore avenues to hold the department accountable for signing this contract.
“There are avenues and there are ways that we can have transparency and accountability in the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office,” Strode said. “However, it seems that the Putnam County Commissioners either do not want to take that route or they seem to be intimidated to do so.”
Strode said he does not feel like the Commissioners hear their constituents concerns about how taxpayer dollars are spent, and he is unsure why this is the case.
Strode said he has spent most of his life in Putnam County. He said growing up in the county taught him the values of integrity, courage, and not abdicating responsibilities.
Strode said the support from other local Democrats over the last month exemplified those values, and reminded him of the Putnam County he grew up in. Strode said he felt his affiliation with democratic organizations has been vilified. He said there needs to be changes to the local government, and he would like to see more diverse representation.
“I want to see more people who won’t sell out our county to the highest bidder,” Strode said. “That’s what I believe is going on here and in our County Commission, and I’m here to represent something different. Something that the moral aptitude of this county truly believes in.”