HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — As one of four candidates for Houston County Sheriff, Slate Simons wants to be the man setting policy and enforcing discipline for dozens of deputies.
But Simons' personnel record with the department shows that he was suspended twice, and both times his bosses cited a string of previous complaints.
In discipline letters to Simons, his superiors complained about his behavior, his attitude, even his driving habits.
When questioned about his suspensions Simons said, "I was in the wrong," about the first case, but he calls the other "political."
He told us last week, "Things are gonna happen, and sometimes you just have to be man enough to say, 'Hey i made a mistake, and I'm sorry...'"
Simons was the first to announce his campaign for office.
He's also one of two Republican candidates who served with the Houston County Sheriff's Office, including current Lt. Matt Moulton. District Attorney Will Kendall and Warner Robins Little League leader Jimmy Dunn are also running for sheriff as Republican candidates. The only Democrat who qualified is Arthur Harris.
'I HAD TO SUPPORT MYSELF."
Born in Atlanta, Richard Slate Simons said he moved to Macon when he was in second grade because of his dad's job in the military.
He said current Bibb County Commissioner Elaine Lucas was his teacher before she entered politics.
Now, he wants to follow in the footsteps of people who came before him, including his former boss, Sheriff Cullen Talton.
Simons said he joined the sheriff's office after his "life turned upside down" when his dad moved to Pennsylvania.
"All of a sudden, I found myself in a precarious position where I had to support myself," Simons said.
According to his personnel file, Simons joined the sheriff's office in 2000 at age 22.
He said he worked 17 years full-time and three years on the reserve unit.
Simons explained he started in the jail, like most deputies, but he wanted to be a patrol deputy.
"It's exciting," Simons said. "You're in a sheriff's car, enforcing the law, that's where all of us at the detention center wanted to be."
In 2003, he transferred from jail to patrol, his records show.
"In 2000, I was a detention deputy," Simons recalled. "I think I was on patrol for about three years. I did about five years on the patrol division, then about five years from traffic to criminal investigations, and I was promoted from corporal to sergeant in investigations."
Simons' records show he was promoted to corporal in 2010 and sergeant in 2012. In 2013, he was transferred to the interstate criminal enforcement team.
"During my time on patrol, I was promoted to SRT and went from there," he said.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS, COMPLIMENTS AND KYRO THE K9
During his tenure at the sheriff's office, Simons won some awards and earned compliments from the community.
Private citizens sent in letters of gratitude addressed to Simons and teams he was a part of during his time at the sheriff's office, but Simons said he never got a chance to see those letters.
"I honestly didn't know that they wrote letters, so I appreciate that. That's very kind," Simons said.
Simons said he's most proud of his K9 handler awards he won with his late dog, Kyro.
According to Simons' records, they won the Law Enforcement K9 Service Award as the winner of the Obedience Competition School Programs Award for "Phenomenal Dog."
Simons said he won that award with Kyro two years in a row, which he said hasn't happened at the sheriff's office before or since his time working there.
In 2017, Simons says he had to put down Kyro because his own life was in danger after Kyro bit his leg and wouldn't let go.
"I spent several, several weeks trying to recover from that," Simons said.
Simons said he went to therapy and rested a lot during that time.
'I DON'T CARE, PULL OVER..."
Those records also show Simons has a disciplinary record. In addition to evaluation forms over the years, the records show Simons was suspended twice.
Simons initially said he didn't recall being suspended until we showed the records on both from his personnel file.
In 2009, a deputy reported Simons for aggressive driving and speeding at 89 miles per hour with his girlfriend in the passenger seat.
According to the letter from the traffic sergeant to Simons' superiors, "The offender vehicle rapidly decelerated and pulled up next to my driver's window and stopped which blocked me from pulling onto the roadway... I already had my window down. I motioned and yelled at the driver 'Pull to the shoulder' I got a response from the driver, 'It's me Sergeant, It's me Simons" I again yelled pull to the shoulder; he again yelled 'it's Simons'. I then yelled 'I don't care, pull over to the shoulder, we're going to talk."
The letter said Simons was in his Sheriff's Response Team (SRT) uniform driving his colleague's mustang after working a detail at an Elko Mud Boggin event with his girlfriend in the passenger's seat.
"The most aggravating thing of all this is that when Deputy Simons pulled up next to me he placed me in a position that I couldn't protect myself" the traffic sergeant wrote. "This was a private vehicle unknown to me and a text book example of an officer being set up for an ambush. The proper response for me would have been to roll out the patrol vehicle and draw my weapon to protect myself and had I not recognized Deputy Simons voice I would have been forced to do just that. I really feel that Deputy Simons used extremely poor judgment in his driving and even poorer judgment in his stopping the vehicle in the manner and position that he did."
The records show the traffic sergeant passed the incident report on to Simons' superiors, who decided he would be suspended without pay for three days.
Captain Robert West's letter to him cites "previous oral and written reprimands concerning Deputy Simons' driving habits and overall attitude."
In the letter of suspension, Col. Reuben McGhee concludes, "May I suggest, Deputy Simons, that you take this time to give some serious thought to your recent behavior."
When 13WMAZ inquired about Simons 2009 suspension and what he did during that time, Simons said he remembers the traffic incident, but not the suspension.
"I mean it was a long time ago, so I don't, but if Colonel McGhee said I was suspended for three days, and I can't appeal it, then so be it," Simons said. "Because, I don't dispute that at all because, fact of the matter is, I was speeding. I was in the wrong, so I deserved to be reprimanded for that infraction."
'THAT WAS VERY POLITICAL'
Simons' file also shows his first suspension was in 2005, when he responded to a stalking victim at Bonaire Elementary School.
His supervisor's suspension letter said the school's principal and the victim "both agree [Simons'] conduct was not what they would expect from an officer of this department."
It says: "Both said you insisted on talking with the victim outside where other parents and children could visibly see. Your presence at the school should have been as low profile as possible, so as not to attract attention. Also, the victim had been upset about the incident and needed to be addressed with compassion and understanding, not verbally assaulted and victimized yet again. When the principal tried to intercede on behalf of the victim, you kept insisting the victim accompany you outside much to her embarrassment. Both [the principal and the victim] said after a few minutes, your demeanor changed, however the entire incident should have been handled in a different manner.
"Deputy Simons I have talked with you in the past concerning this same type incident and hoped the problems were corrected. Apparently, there is still a problem and I have asked your supervisor to closely monitor the situation."
Simons was suspended for two days.
"That was very political to be transparent with you," Simons said. "There was no way I should've received any reprimand for that, and I told my commander that... I don't mind taking one on the chin if it needs to be taken, but that right there, I didn't do anything wrong, and I stand on that."
'IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR'
According to Simons' personnel file, he was also investigated after firing at a suspect at a home on Logue Street in 2007,
Simons said he fired a gun inside a home as his team conducted a no-knock warrant inside. Like every other officer involved in a shooting, Simons was included in the investigation.
His records don't show any discipline as a result of that investigation.
Simons resigned in 2022, according to his personnel file.
In his resignation letter to his supervisor, Simons wrote: "I have received approximately 4,000 hours of training in Law Enforcement and about 3,000 hours in Special Tactics. For that, I owe a never-ending debt of gratitude. I have tried to be the best S.R.T Operator ever in this organization. I have given my team members including my superiors 100%. I do not feel like I am capable of it anymore. I have been a part of this team for 10 years. It has been an honor. I have absolutely loved being a part of this Life Saving Team, however I do not approve of the direction that this team is headed."
Simons also wrote a letter of resignation to Houston County Sheriff Talton, the nation's longest-serving sheriff.
When 13WMAZ asked Simons why he resigned from the sheriff's office, he explained he was unhappy with the pay and conditions. He also had an offer to go into the business industry, with a heating and air company, which he now co-owns with his wife.
"I always try to take time to improve myself, throughout my entire sheriff's office career, through the private sector and what not," he told 13WMAZ.. "So, things are gonna happen, and sometimes you just have to be man enough to say 'Hey, I made a mistake and I'm sorry, and I'm going to do everything i can to prevent it from happening in the future.'"
Simons also has an undated letter that he says he wrote during his time as a deputy at HCSO. In it, he said his last dated letter was in 2009.
"I have reviewed my Personnel File," he wrote. "I also reviewed the Houston County S.O.P. in reference to the duration of disciplinary and or derogatory letters in my personnel file. What I found is that the letters are to be kept in place for 2 years. My last letter was dated in 2009. Since the time has expired, I respectfully request all letters of disciplinary action be removed and or destroyed. I have organized the letters that I am specifically inquiring about and they are in fact paper clipped together in the front of my personnel file."
When 13WMAZ asked if there was anything Simons could think of was missing, he said he believes all the records were provided.
Simons said he has plans to maintain the same order of the sheriff's office that Talton has, and also wants to incorporate some new ideas.
"The number one common denominator in any relationship is communication, and we need to make sure we establish that and it's sustainable. So, a citizen's police academy for the adults, Explorer program for the children, drug rehabilitation centers within our jail, and transition centers when they get out."
The Republican primary for sheriff is May 21. That winner of that race faces Democrat Arthur Harris in November.