Although Sheriff Oliver Price has lost his bid for re-election and will have to turn over his badge to Victor Grayson come January, I wanted to sit down with the man who had protected Emerson Valley for nearly three decades and get his perspective on events from both the past and present. I met with Sheriff Price on the back porch of his impressive estate, speaking with him as he swayed in his rocking chair and sipped on a bottle of ice cold beer.

Emerson Valley Gazette: You recently lost the election to Victor Grayson. Did that come as a surprise to you, considering you’ve won every previous election for almost thirty years now?

Sheriff Oliver Price: (Sighs) Not really. It became pretty clear by the beginning of October which way the wind was blowing. Grayson ran a dirty campaign and heaped a lot of trash on my character, which obviously worked. Everyone who has been working to take me down for the last few years finally got what they wanted.

The Gazette: Who exactly do you believe has been working to take you down?

Sheriff Price: C’mon, son…you know who I’m talking about. I’m not gonna give them the satisfaction of having any accusations published in your rag, but the people reading this can figure it out.

The Gazette: I’m sensing some hostility from you right now. Do you have a problem with the Gazette?

Sheriff Price: (Laughs bitterly) Do I? You’re damn right I do! You bastards didn’t hesitate to print every unflattering rumor and vitriolic remark anyone made against me, but you never bothered to talk about all the good I’ve done for this miserable sh*thole! Twenty-eight years! Twenty-eight goddamn years I’ve been keeping you sh*theads safe, and this is the thanks I get?

The Gazette: Are you still trying to deny the allegations against you? We’ve seen mountains of evidence that you abusing the system for your own ends. (Motions around at the estate) Look at this place! Do you really think anyone believes you could afford all this on a sheriff’s salary?

Sheriff Price: (Stands up and throws his beer across the porch. It shatters when it hits the ground) After everything I sacrificed for this town, you owed that to me! Putting my life on the line every damn day for a couple of bucks more than what they pay the guy who makes the fries at McDonald’s? C’mon, dammit! No one got hurt! I deserved a little reward for keeping this hellhole from being—

The Gazette: (Interrupting him) It’s about more than the money! What about Maya Thomas and Daniel Green? Everyone knows they didn’t “die due to an accident!” What kind of accident leaves two people gutted and strung up between the trees like that?! Not to mention the inexcusable way your department cremated their bodies against their families wishes!

Sheriff Price: You have no idea what you’re talking about, son! Sure, you wanna stick your nose in it now, but where have you been for the past thirty years? You think those two kids were the first? You people bury your heads in the sand for so long, and then when you come up for air, you decide to bury me to make yourself feel like you’ve actually done something! You people make me sick! I’m done here! Get out! I want you off my property!

I left Sheriff Price’s estate after that. The interview clearly didn’t go as planned, but if those are the words he wants to leave his constituents with, it’s not my place to censor them. At the risk of allowing my personal bias to leak through, I for one am glad this man is no longer in a position of authority. He has no remorse for all the people he’s hurt, and he continues to play the victim when his crimes have been laid bare for all to see. Good riddance, Sheriff Price. Emerson Valley will not miss you.

-William Cooper, Human Interest, Emerson Valley Gazette