Eighth Circuit Solicitor Jerry Peace has had his detractors over his years in office. WSPA television reported on how Peace’s office moved along DUI cases in a dishonorable way. Various groups have had a problem with how he deals with other crimes. Some even contend that Peace and his office play favorites with clients of certain attorneys in the circuit. There are rumors of law enforcement being disgruntled at how Peace does things.
So, it is no shock that Peace finds himself opposed for re-election. Ben Shealy was the first to step up to run against Jerry Peace for the Republican nomination for Solicitor of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, which includes Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens, and Newberry counties. But, it was the entrance of David Stumbo that made the race one to watch.
Stumbo, who is a native of the area, is a man with true law enforcement experience, in that he worked for two Attorneys General and for legendary Solicitor Donnie Meyers in Lexington County. Stumbo is not only a man who has put criminals away; he has taught other prosecutors how to do the same.
Stumbo comes across as a man sort of sick of what he sees going on in his home area and willing to move back and stand up to set it right. That takes real guts and a real commitment to do what is right.
That sort of commitment to do what is right, no matter what attorney is offended, seems to have been lost over the last seven years of the reign of Jerry Peace in the Eighth Circuit. The entrance of a guy like Stumbo in the race is refreshing for folks in that area who want someone who prosecutes for justice and knows how to do it.
Indeed, Stumbo’s decision to move back home and challenge the controversial reign of Jerry Peace makes the Eighth Solicitor’s race one to watch. It is a classic race. An entrenched incumbent, beset by rumors of impropriety, is pitted against a man who came back home bent on setting things right. Such a scenario is not a liberal or conservative affair. It is shaping up as a battle of what is right versus what is wrong. And, those in the know know that Mr. Stumbo is on the side of right and that Mr. Peace is the symbol of what is wrong in law enforcement in Abbeville, Greenwood, Laurens and Newberry counties.
Make no mistake, there are very well placed interests who want to keep Peace in his job. But, Stumbo presents a challenge like no other. Though they will not officially say so, there are real people with influence who are tired of Mr. Peace and how Mr. Peace does things. Mr. Stumbo, with his resume and earnest efforts, gives such folks a real choice in the Republican primary. They can either quietly or openly support a candidate who will actually do justice. As such, the antics of Jerry Peace have landed him in real political trouble. It is such a trouble that VUI sees Mr. Stumbo being sworn in as the Solicitor of the Eighth Circuit when all is said and done.
