Sheriff and son accused of pistol-whipping New Mexico motorist

[tblue37]

7. What a fine, upstanding lawman! Check out his record:

Even by the standards of some small-town lawmen over the years, Rodella has had a particularly colorful and controversial career spanning almost three decades.

The Albuquerque Journal reported that as a state police officer in the 1980s he was disciplined for marijuana use, physical abuse, and improper use of a weapon. And in 1993 he allegedly fired a weapon at a deer decoy set up by state game wardens to catch poachers.

In 2008 the New Mexico Supreme Court fired him from his post as a magistrate court judge in Rio Arriba County for "willful misconduct" after he involved himself in a friend's drunken driving case, and also promised to rule in favor of campaign supporters if they faced any litigation in his court.

And yet he keeps finding himself in positions of power and authority.