Shocker.

Drug agents arrrested [sic] the Republican candidate for Madison County coroner Thursday for possession of cocaine, police said Friday.

Greg Goodwin, 38, was booked into the Madison County jail Thursday and released on $1,000 bond, police said.

Police spokesman Wendell Johnson declined to release further details because the investigation is ongoing.

Goodwin, who works at Hazel Green Funeral Home, is running for coroner against incumbent Democrat Bobby Berryhill.

The radio news story said that it was “crack cocaine.” 

I have spoken briefly with him on a couple of occasions and he seemed like a decent guy.  He has a handsome little boy who is just a couple of months older than mine.  I couldn’t imagine doing anything like using/possessing illegal drugs for the simple fact that it hurts those around you so much.  I hope the allegations aren’t true for his family’s sake, but I’m sure his campaign is all but over.

Update: The HSV Times has a little bit more in today’s edition.  Goodwin is not going to drop out of the race and his preliminary hearing will not take place until after the Nov. 7 election.  He is, of course, pleading not guilty.  There was this interesting line.

[Goodwin's attorney] said Goodwin does not know of the evidence against him.

I know he’s pleading not guilty, but I would think the evidence against him in a drug arrest would be pretty obvious to all involved.  As unlikely as it might sound, what if this was a mistake by the Madison-Morgan County Strategic Counterdrug Team?  You don’t just say “I’m sorry” after destroying someone’s campaign and life.

John Noel, chairman of the Madison County Republican Party, said no attempt will be made to replace Goodwin on the ballot unless he is convicted. “In this party and in this country, people are considered innocent until proven guilty,” Noel said.

Replacing Goodwin in the 17 days before the election wouldn’t be practical anyway, he said. “The idea of taking him off the ballot just isn’t feasible.”

We’ll see how much support he gets down the home stretch, though.

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This entry was posted by Brian on Saturday, October 21st, 2006 at 6:00 am and is filed under Drugs, Madison County, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Please note the copyright policy.