Thursday, September 24, 2009

Census Worker Lynched in Clay County


From the Courier-Journal:

A U.S. Census worker found hanging from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday, and the FBI is investigating whether he was a victim of anti-government sentiment.

The body of Bill Sparkman, a 51-year-old, part-time Census field worker and teacher, was found Sept. 12 in a remote patch of the Daniel Boone National Forest in rural southeast Kentucky.

The Census has suspended door-to-door interviews in rural Clay County where the body was found pending the outcome of the investigation. An autopsy report is pending...

A private group called PEER, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, tracks violence against employees who enforce environmental regulations, but the group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, said it is hard to know about all of the cases because some agencies don't share data on instances of violence against employees.

Ruch said that after the bombing in Oklahoma City, "we kept getting reports from employees that attacks and intimidation against federal employees had not diminished, and that's why we've been tracking them."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am sure am glad I didn't apply for that job.