After 24 years as Onslow County Sheriff, Ed Brown figures he can pretty much say anything and get reelected, including the following statement he made in a [__full-page newspaper ad__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ed%20brown%20ad.pdf) back in February.
> “Those in the law enforcement profession have complete power of you, your life, your family, your loved ones, your rights, your freedom, your future and everything precious to life.”
It’s no wonder deputy Natalie Barber believed [__she could swipe two phones__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/04/22/north-carolina-deputy-snatches-two-phones-fails-snatch-third-handcuffs-man-reason/) from Carlos Jamarillo’s family in a video that ended up going viral this week.
Barber claimed she was in fear for her life. The sheriff initially backed her up until public pressure forced him to take action.
But all he did was give her an [__additional six weeks of training__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/04/23/onslow-county-sheriff-provide-six-weeks-training-deputy-confiscated-phones/) when she probably needs six weeks of anger management, if not six weeks in the slammer for strong-arming phones from Jaramillo and his son, leaving his son with an injured hand.
In the above video, Jaramillo recorded a phone conversation between himself and the sheriff that reveals a lot about Brown’s personality and why so many people in that town fear him.
He faces a primary election on May 6 against an opponent named Hans Miller.
North Carolina is a one-party consent state, so Jaramillo was not breaking the law by recording him without consent.
**UPDATE:** The Onslow County district attorney announced this morning that Sheriff Brown lied when he tried to implicate sheriff candidate Hans Miller in an ongoing series of bomb threats where a teenager was arrested.
According to the [__Jacksonville Daily News:__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/da-miller-not-involved-in-recent-bomb-threats-1.310178)
> “As district attorney it is my job to determine whether there exists credible evidence to support any allegation that Hans Miller or his campaign was in any way involved with the recent bomb threats,” Lee said. “I find there is absolutely no credible evidence to support such an allegation against Hans Miller or his campaign.”
> Gerald Jackson, 18, was charged April 7 by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Police Department.
> “I must determine if there was a criminal violation when Sheriff Brown stated that he intended to release information, that he knew not to be credible, which would implicate Hans Miller or his campaign in the reacent bomb threats,” Lee said. “I do not condone the actions or words of Sheriff Brown during his phone call to Hans Miller … I find those actions and words to be unprofessional and to reflect unfavorably upon Sheriff Brown.”
Here is a transcript of Brown trying to intimidate Miller – which we now know is his standard method of operation – by threatening to tie him into the threats that had nothing to do with him.
According to the [__Jacksonville Daily News:__](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/transcript-of-recorded-call-between-brown-miller-11.306666)
> Miller: Hello Sheriff, this is Hans. How are you, sir?
> Brown: I am doing great but I am disturbed.
> Miller: Are we still speaking with each other?
> Brown: Well, I don’t know, I mean I’m speaking with you but you know I think you probably won’t speak to me after I tell you this young man that done his bomb threats
> Miller: Who is he?
> Brown: Huh?
> Miller: Who is he?
> Brown: he says you put him up to it
> Miller: Put him up to what?
> Brown: Put him up to the bomb threats and I’m probably looking at doing a media release Monday on it. And I want to know if you want to be there to defend yourself.
> Miller: Well, I will tell you the truth and, Ed, I will tell you I did not put him up to that. That is an allegation. If he makes that allegation he is a doggone liar.
> Brown: Well that shouldn’t be strange, Hans. We’ve got liars around Onslow County. I listen to them every morning; I listen to them every morning on the radio.
> Miller: And I hear them too and it bothers me because you know I just don’t like lies. Now we all know that an undercover operation is kind of a lie ‘cause when someone says ‘are you a cop’ you don’t answer ‘yes I’m a cop’ so that is, you know because we’re all …
> Brown: What I’m going to do, I’m just going to call the media in, Hans, and let them listen to the man’s story. Let them decide whether it’s a lie or not and that’s my fault, matter of fact, uh …