Deputy guarding 'Thomas' finds himself facing angry crowd

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Friday, July 4, 2008, 10:30 p.m. -- A Nelson County deputy sheriff found himself in hostile territory Friday evening while on special detail providing security for the "Day Out With Thomas" exhibit at the Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven.

Answering a reported large fight by the Sherwood Inn about 10 p.m., the deputy called Nelson County Dispatch for backup.

Moments earlier, the deputy had been alerted to a drunken brawl and was attempting to break up the fight and arrest one of the participants when a group of people took issue with the deputy's plan to arrest the man.

The deputy repeated his call for backup more than once. Reports from the scene said that five or six people had surrounded the deputy.

The nearest backup units were in the Bardstown area, and the Kentucky State Police had two units in Hodgenville, still minutes away from New Haven. "I need some help!" the deputy radioed to the dispatcher.

At one point, the deputy in New Haven didn't respond to the dispatcher's calls to check on his status. Three deputies were responding to New Haven by that time, and the dispatcher asked the units to step up their response.

Once the first deputy arrived to backup the deputy who had been surrounded, the arrest was made, and at least 3 others were arrested, including one adult female.