It is with great sadness that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office announces the passing of Former Sheriff William L. Morris.
William L. Morris died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 28, 2010 at 5:01pm, at the University of Virginia Hospital.
Morris was discovered near his home just before noon, and authorities believe it was Morris who activated a panic alarm, which summoned deputies to his property, Maj. Randall Snead of the Sheriff’s Office said.
It was discovered that Morris was dealing with an illness called tinnitus, which had been bothering him since September of 2009. He had since that time lost approximately 50lbs and was complaining of not being able to sleep or eat.
A letter later found through the investigation confirmed that it was indeed the tinnitus that was so bothersome to him, that he choose to take his life, rather than be a burden to anyone.
“Obviously, it’s not a good day for anyone who knew or cared for the former Sheriff,” Snead said.
The Former Greene County Sheriff, was a larger-than-life figure in local law enforcement for two decades, as he served the County of Greene from January1, 1984- to his retirement December 31, 2003.
Morris was a well-known and colorful Greene County character, known throughout the region for his ruthless enforcement of traffic laws on US 29 & US 33.
A fitness club owner and champion weightlifter, Morris rode a wave of anti-incumbent sentiment into office in 1983. He drew national attention the next year when he held a bake sale for money to investigate drug cases after his office got what he considered inadequate funding.
Over the years, he held more bake sales for other purposes, including new radios.
In 1991, Morris was nearly paralyzed after being hit with buckshot as he escorted a woman back to her home after a domestic dispute.
He also once held a convicted felon in his home for two hours because the nearby jails were full. The prisoner sat in an easy chair, watched TV and dined on baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans and chocolate mousse pie.
Sheriff Haas, who took over after Morris retired in 2003, served as Morris’ chief deputy.
“He really and truly did care about what went on in the county and about the people there and I think most people do not understand what a soft spot he had in his heart when people were victims or a crime had happened,” Haas said.
He added, “He did a lot of things quietly, checking on the elderly or people that had problems, and he would check on them and nothing was ever said, or he didn’t make it public.”
Morris was sheriff “at a time when there was rapid growth in the county, and he tackled drugs head on,” Haas said.
Albemarle County Sheriff J.E. “Chip” Harding worked alongside Morris as they lobbied to use seized drug proceeds for law enforcement, he said.
The two also worked several cases together, Harding said.
“Everybody probably has a Willie Morris story, because he was a very colorful individual,” Harding said.
He recalled a time in 1992 when he and Morris were hidden under a trailer, watching a nearby house to see if the suspected leader of a drug ring would show up. But then Morris started in with his stories.
“He started cracking me up so bad I thought somebody was going to hear us laughing before we could bring the case to fruition,” Harding said.
The former Sheriff William Morris leaves behind a mother, daughter, son and grandson. “It is without a doubt that he will be tremendously missed by many”, Snead said.

The Greene County Victim witness program and the Sheriff's Office has teamed up with www.911CellPhone.Org Bring your old cells phones regardless of age to the Sheriff's Office and we can turn them in so that others can be helped. There are two questions that are always asked Is there any cost?, and How will my donation benefit my community? Here are the answers: Is there any cost? No. We (911cellphone.org) will pay for all shipping and handling, inventory management and testing of each donated cell phone. However, unless special circumstances exist, any agency requesting cell phones will be required to support the promotion and collection activities of the program. How will my donation benefit my community? All monies generated by the sale of re-marketable cell phones donated to a specific agency will be paid directly back to that agency. However, only the donated cell phones which are designated for 911 emergency use will be added to an inventory "Bank" available to all participants. Qualified participating agencies can request any number of 911 emergency cell phones regardless of past donations. If there are any other questions please contact Mrs. Watson at 434-985-2222 ext 408.

Crime is on the rise in Greene and the Sheriff’s Office is asking county supervisors to allow it to hire the help it says it needs.
“We had an increase of approximately 8,000 calls for service from 2007 to 2008,“ Major Randall Snead told supervisors at their budget workshop Wednesday, March 4.


Snead explained the latest jump brought the average number of calls per year to more than 34,000 over the last two and a half years.
“With these times being tough … there are individuals who do not usually break the law that are going to break the law in order to survive. It will show in calls; it will show in increases in breaking and entering, larceny and shoplifting,“ Snead told supervisors.  “People that we’ve interviewed recently have not ever had a criminal record (but they are) shoplifting, just trying to make ends meet.“


Last October 16 the Record reported that the county was tightening its belt in the wake of an announcement that the state shortfall was trickling down to the localities. Greene’s state aid had just been reduced by $106,000, and officials were expecting the economy to get worse before it got better.
A week later, on October 23, the Record reported that the county had made what Board of Supervisors chair Steve Catalano referred to as a “preemptive strike” by, among other things, initiating a hiring freeze and evaluating the replacement of key personnel that tender their resignations on a case-by-case basis.


Since then, some Sheriff’s Office personnel have moved on and Snead wants supervisors to lift the hiring freeze so he can hire the help he needs.


On March 4, he told them that he appreciated that these were “tough financial times” for the county and assured them that the Sheriff’s Office is “taking every step we can to make the budget as painless as we can for the community.“


But every year, said Snead, the numbers that come through his office increase. “We have to keep in mind that we have a service that we have to provide to the citizens and businesses of the county,“ he reminded supervisors.


Snead said there are five vacancies to be filled in the Sheriff’s Office: one deputy, one dispatch operations manager, and three dispatchers. He advised supervisors that the Sheriff’s Office cannot pay overtime to take up the slack, and that even if it could, the extra hours could lead to burnout, followed by more vacancies.


“I’m critical right now. I need to be allowed to hire as soon as possible. I have got to fill those positions,“ Snead said.


Snead said the operations manager position is critical to bringing money back into the county from other sources, such as, for example, grants. The operations manager is also responsible for the oversight of all personnel issues, including the training and certification of staff.


“That person makes sure we’re meeting all the criteria (for all) policies and procedures … and in an emergency situation, when people get sick, that person goes on dispatch,“ Snead said.

Greene County Sheriff S. Haas is proud to announce a new tool in the fight on crime. The Crime Stoppers Hot line has been added to the Sheriff's Office. Callers can call in anonymously with information about crimes that have occured in and around the county.