HARDIN CO.—War of the Worlds it was not, but more than a few eyes were watching the skies in the tiny county of Hardin in Southern Illinois last night, Thursday, March 7.
Facebook sources started hypothesizing last night after one of our many faithful readers heard over the police scanner traffic about air support.
Sheriff JT Fricker, who was busy last night…fortunately, not with aliens, but with possible drug eradication
Calls to Sheriff JT Fricker confirmed there was no invasion by either terrestrial or extraterrestrial aliens.
In fact, according to a Fricker spokesperson, the sheriff was actually in the middle of making good on one of his campaign promises to fight drug trafficking with a vengeance when Disclosure staff called this morning, March 8.
“This department commonly works with the Illinois State Police on Operation Cash Crop in the summer time,” said the spokesperson, referencing an ongoing marijuana eradication campaign using aircraft to locate cannabis growing in the middle of cornfields and other rural areas. “Last night we were more or less training with modern technology looking for indoor grow operations.”
The spokesperson said if they had located such an operation, appropriate measures would have been taken including contacting state’s attorney Tara Wallace for a search warrant.
Both Fricker and Wallace have teamed up to bring a new level of professionalism to county law enforcement, a welcome change from the previous crew that included the likes of uninterested prosecutor Roger Ralph and even-less-interested appointed sheriff Joyce Cullison.
Disclosure appreciates the heads-up about what’s going on in Hardin, as always, and thanks the astute readers for assisting us with the tip while we’re on deadline for the next issue, hitting stands next Tuesday, March 12.