TRYON – Polk County Sheriff Donald Hill visited Tryon Town Council’s Tuesday, Sept. 20 meeting to let town commissioners know he wasn’t happy to hear that a commissioner called him and his staff “a bunch of idiots,” and made false comments about the jail.

Hill did not publicly disclose which commissioner allegedly made the statements.

Commissioner Bill Crowell told the Bulletin after the meeting it was his comments, but said that Hill’s witnesses did not relay what was actually said.

Hill said it was brought to his attention that an individual on Tryon’s board apparently has disagreements about the new sheriff’s office and detention center, specifically, that all Hill does is house people who don’t pay their child support.

“Last year I had three (people housed for not paying child support),” Hill said.

The sheriff continued to list all offenses inmates in his jail have been confined for this year, including 37 assaults on a female, 32 breaking and entering, 19 communicating threats, 151 driving while impaired, 26 larcenies and breaking and entering, 26 identity thefts, 58 failures to appear, two for murder and he also had one held for murder last year, he said.

“So when these facts go out, it’s not true,” Hill said. “That’s the first issue. The second issue is, I’m not an idiot.”

Crowell said it wasn’t Hill or the sheriff’s office he was referring to.

On the contrary, Crowell said, if the witnesses had heard the whole conversation they would have heard him praising Hill.

“I think the world of Donald Hill,” Crowell said, adding that he thinks Hill is the best sheriff this county has had since Crowell moved here over 30 years ago. “He’s one of the finest men in Polk County. Period.”

Hill told Tryon Commissioners he grew up here and has given his life to Polk County. He said he was working at the sheriff’s office when he was 20 years old when the sheriff’s office couldn’t afford cars or to put gas in the cars.

“I’ve given 30 years of my life for Polk County,” Hill said. “I’ve bought toys for kids in this county. I’ve helped dig graves for people that’s died in this county. Families here couldn’t bury their own family and came to me for help. I’ve (given) my life for people in this county. So I’m not an idiot.”

Hill also said if the comments are directed towards county commissioners, “I represent those guys, Democrats and Republicans.”

“And they (county commissioners) aren’t idiots either,” Hill said. 

People don’t realize that Polk County runs a pretrial facility, Hill said.

“Most people in my jail haven’t been found guilty of nothing,” he said. “They’re pretrial. They haven’t been to court. So yeah, I support a new jail, I support a new sheriff’s office. I’ve got 30-something employees who bust their butts for this county.”

Hill said if any one of most people’s children had to endure the environment of the current jail, mentioning his having to work in mold and have urine drip in his face from leaking sewer pipes, “you’d file a lawsuit on the county.”

Hill said he understands being in politics he has to face certain criticisms, “but I promise you I will only take so much.”

Tryon Commissioner Roy Miller was the only commissioner to speak during Hill’s comments Tuesday.

Miller said he and Hill grew up together.

“I know from a personal standpoint how much you’ve helped this county,” Miller said. “Your family is like my family.”

Miller said several years ago he knew of a family traveling on Christmas Day and their car broke down and they couldn’t buy a present for their daughter. Miller said he called Hill and Hill responded that he’d be there in a minute and he “came to the Days Inn and brought a brand new bicycle for that little girl.”

“I apologize,” Miller said to Hill. “I don’t support the council going out and making comments that would reflect anything negative towards other elected officials. We all have to work together in a small county.”

Miller ended his comments by saying, “I support you. I applaud your work.”

The sheriff said Tryon is a big part of his life as he spent a lot of time in Tryon growing up. He said he knew everybody from almost every community and they knew him.

“If you don’t agree, come talk to me,” Hill said. “Even if I don’t agree with you I’ll never disrespect you.”

Tryon resident Mary Prioleau said she doesn’t know anything about the comments in question but she has nothing but respect for both Hill and Arrowood. Prioleau said before her daughter committed suicide, if it hadn’t been for Hill and Arrowood she would have died months before.

“Both of them would be wherever I needed them to be,” Prioleau said. “Neither made me feel like a bad person. They treated her with the utmost of dignity.”

Prioleau said when she decided to have her daughter arrested, Hill spoke to her daughter before she was transferred her to another facility. Prioleau said her daughter, “went overboard repeatedly to make it known how much she appreciated those two being in her corner.”

Hill responded that cases like Prioleau’s are why he is in such support of a new jail in Polk County.

“Because you never know when your kid is going to run into a problem,” Hill said. “I’m always big on local.”

Hill said in Polk County, family members have direct access to him or other officers and in larger counties they are not going to have that, especially when Polk inmates have to be housed four counties away. Hill said if your child makes a mistake in life, he allows family members to speak to the inmate.

“You can walk in and ask, can I talk with my son or daughter,” Hill said. “I’m going to walk you back there and let you talk to them. A lot of jails won’t allow that.”

Hill ended by saying he respects Tryon commissioners and that all elected officials in the county need to work together.

“There might be something I don’t agree with, but I’m not going to come over here and bash you or disrespect you,” Hill said. “I’ll come to you. I just don’t appreciate those comments.”

After the meeting, Commissioner Bill Ingham said the town respects Donald Hill.

“I’m sorry it happened and we need a good relationship with the county,” Ingham said. “If comments were made it was uncalled for and it’s certainly not the feeling of the board.”

Commissioner Crys Armbrust had no comment when contacted this week.

Tryon Mayor Alan Peoples was absent from the meeting as he was out of town.