Oakboro Police Department TJ Smith.Photo: Oakboro Police Department
A vaccinated police chief in North Carolina is accused of telling officers and troopers where to get a COVID-19 vaccine card without having to get the vaccine.
Smith was allegedly caught telling officers about a vaccination clinic that would give them a syringe to self-inject, which they could use or dispose of in a bathroom. No matter what the officers decided to do, they would received a COVID-19 vaccination card, Smith allegedly said, adding there was an arrangement with the pharmacists.
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The letter says Smith violated personnel policies related to fraud, willful acts that endanger the property of others, and serving a conflicting interest.
“Many have asked me for details regarding my involvement in recent allegations. To make a long story short, in retrospect, I made a mistake. A friend called me with some information about a mobile vaccination clinic. It was a busy morning like every other busy morning. After I got off the phone with that friend, I called two other officers (not in my department) and passed on information about what was described as a ‘self-vaccination’ clinic. I got one phone call, hung up and made two others. I didn’t sit back and digest the information, ruminate on it, or otherwise give it much thought. I just passed it on.
“Having the benefit of hindsight now, it is obvious the entire process sounds questionable. I didn’t post it on social media, and I didn’t really sit back and think hard on it at that moment. It was just one person sharing the word with another.
“I’m not a doctor and not in the medical field. I don’t know much about the vaccine process or what’s involved. That’s what these clinics and such are for. Being in the military, I have taken many vaccinations without ever knowing what was in them or how they worked. I received my own Covid vaccines in the spring of this year from the VA hospital in Salisbury. I just try to help people where I can, and I passed on something that, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have.
“I’m owning that. It was a mistake, and I shared misinformation. That’s true. I wanted to say something about this before now, but with everything going on, it was best that I wait for the investigative process to conclude.
“I shared something that wasn’t true. I didn’t profit from it. I couldn’t possibly profit from it, and I didn’t do it from a place of malice. I care deeply about others, and I sincerely appreciate that I have a job that allows me to serve them and to see things improve in my community. We have the greatest people anywhere right here in Oakboro, and I hope they know my heart well enough to know that this came from a place of caring, that I realize I made a mistake now, and that they will allow me to continue serving in the best way I know how.”
The investigation remains ongoing. Smith has not been charged with any crimes. He has the option to appeal the town’s decision beginning Dec. 21.
Smith has been the police chief in Oakboro since 2016.
source: people.com
