Clay Higginshas resigned from the St. Landry ParishSheriff's Office.
The man called the "Cajun John Wayne"made the announcement Monday on the steps of the St. Landry Parish Courthouse.
His announcement comes on the heels of some controversy surrounding the most recent video Higgins made about fugitives.
At the request of State Police, Higgins put together a video about seven suspects who have been on the run since last fall, accused members of the Gremlins Gang and under indictment on conspiracy charges.
In the video, Higgins, referred to the suspects as "animals," "thugs" and "heathens," words that have sparked debate and a response from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The union's response included a statement that said it’s “inappropriate and incorrect” for Higgins to apply a religious term to people when he has no specific information about their religious beliefs.
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"I've met with the sheriff, andhe has accepted my resignation," Higgins said Monday."I was not forced to resign. I've turned my badge in a matter of conscience."
Higgins said his religious faith has propelled him to be the person he is today.
"I begin each day on bended knee, but I kneel to our savior," he said."I will not kneel to violent street gangs; I will not kneel to murderers or the parents who raised them. I will not kneel to a discredited wannabe black activist that doesn't really have the best interest of his people in mind. I will not kneel to bureaucrats from Washington, Baton Rouge or anywhere else."
He said his basic principles would be challenged in his role with the sheriff's office moving forward, something he said he would not sacrifice.
"I would die rather than sacrifice my principles," Higgins said. "If I would sacrifice my life for my principles, surely you understand I must sacrifice my job."
Although he and Sheriff Bobby Guidroz did not completely agree with the direction Crime Stoppers should head moving forward, Higgins spoke highly of Guidroz.
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"I love my sheriff andI admire him," Higgins said. "I respect him. He's a good man with a good heart. Although I'd take a bullet for my sheriff, I cannot abide by his current orders. I'm sorry I just can't."
The Crime Stoppers' videos, under Higgins' direction,has seen success, according to the former public information officer. He said 17 of the 48 people targeted in the videos had turned themselves in.
"All of us who wear badges begin our job with an oath," he said. "That oath that allegiance is not to a sheriff, it's to the constitutional principles that the badge represents. It's to the people that we've sworn to serve and protect.
"If I were continue to wear the badge that I resigned from and to work within the parameters that I've been commanded, I would tarnish that badge," Higgins added."I would violate the principles that it represents. I just can't do that."
The Crime Stoppers star likened himself to a horse, while using what he labeled a popular saying.
"There's a saying amongst equestrians and cowboys," he told the audience. "Some horses just don't run with a bit in their mouth. I'm one of those horses. I don't dowell reined in. Although I love and respect my sheriff, I must resign."
Higgins expressed gratitude and love to his former coworkers at the sheriff's office as well as the people from the community. He said he has plenty of options tochoose from although he hasn't decided what his next move will be.
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"My phone is already ringing," he said.
He is currently a constable in District 8 in St. Landry Parish, a position he has held since 2009.
Chad Guidry, a former police chief in Cankton, was in attendance for Higgins' announcement.
"I know Clay;I know his heart," Guidry said. "I know how he represents this community. He's going to be sadly missed. He's been a good person for this parish."
Monday, Guidroz issued a press release in response to Higgins' resignation.
The sheriff said his orders to Higgins had nothing to do with the popular Gremlin's Gang video.
"My orders to Higgins was to 'tone down' his unprofessional comments on our weekly Crime Stoppers messages and had nothing to do with the Gremlins video that appeared." Guidroz said. "I agree with the Gremlins video... I repeatedly told him to stop saying things like, ‘you have no brain cells,' or making comments that were totally disrespectful and demeaning.
"Clay Higgins appeared on the cover of a local magazine in full dress uniform without my approval and permission," Guidroz continued. "That, too, is something he didn’t like me controlling.”
Guidroz said it is his job to make sure the message sent to the public is professional and truthful. He said the public information officer is a spokesperson for him and represents his words.
"If Clay Higgins cannot agree with my words, thoughts and message, then he is correct in resigning his position," Guidroz said.
The Rev. Raymond Brown with National Action Now, a civil rights organization has spoken out against Higgins and his Crime Stoppers video. He said the video suggested the accused men might be shot before they were arrested.
On Monday, Brown said he believed Higgins was forced to resign.
"We think his superior asked him to resign, about the statements he made about good inmates tossing around the Gremlin Gang like rabid dogs," Brown said. "He's inciting a riot in prison."
Brown said they will hold a news conference Tuesday in Abbeville to respond to Higgins' press conference.
"His resignation doesn't change anything," Brown said. "The right to a fair trial (for the Gremlin Gang)will never happen."
