Look above for answer

To the Editor:

On November 21, 2002, a baby girl named Heavenly Grace Hafford was introduced into this world to a father, Steven and mother, Debra who began already plotting how their sweet young baby girl was going to be raised. Not personally knowing the Hafford's but having two young daughters myself I can almost picture what kind of plans they may have had for this little child being held so gently by them. In their minds watching Heavenly grow up to be a little girl to being a young lady and was well on her way to become a pretty young woman when all of a sudden, in a blink of an eye on December 9, 2015, all of those hopes and dreams were washed away by hearing the tragic news no parent wants to hear, those words telling them their daughter was involved in a hit and run accident and that their daughter was taken from them in a tragic incident on Kanell Blvd. and Maud St. junction on old PP Highway. Then to hear the gruesome details offered to them by law enforcement officials must have even made it harder to understand how not one, but two human beings could be so heartless by not stopping to lend aid to another person especially when the other person is a 15 years old girl. Yes, my heart goes out to this family and with God's guidance it will hopefully heal the hurting inside. The memories will never go away but you just ask that the pain eases in time. The reason for writing this letter however is not to re-live this horrible day but to rather try to understand the outcome of the findings. Myself being prior law enforcement it is not only hard but frustrating to see how this has played itself out regarding all the parties involved. Let me be perfectly honest with all of you. I consider Danny Whiteley, Kevin Barbour, and Ben Ressel to be personal friends of mine. This being said, what I am about to say may not satisfy a lot of people but I feel something needs to be brought out by someone other than those involved. First of all, I applaud Chief Whiteley and the entire Poplar Bluff Police Department along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and now retired, Capt. Riddens for their hard work in investigating this incident. The public really does not know what goes on during this type of investigation other than what they have seen on CSI or some other type of investigative television show. They did their duties and then turned it over to the Prosecuting Attorney's office to complete their findings and make a final decision on what, BY LAW, they can do. I emphasize LAW because folks, today the term LAW, is such a slippery slope when it comes to the wording and phrasing of not some but all of the State Statutes that has to be followed. Mr. Barbour is and has been a fantastic Prosecuting Attorney throughout all of his terms he was elected to by you the people of Butler County and not just once but numerous times, the same people who are now slamming him for attempting to explain why he had to make this decision, a tough one at that I might add. True it is even hard for me to understand but after being involved in law enforcement work in one way or another for over 24 years and some change, nothing should surprise me when it comes to case decisions but Lord knows, it does. Now about Mr. Ressel. True, Ben made a huge error in judgment when he decided to drive away from such a devastating incident and it just amazes me he even did and in no way am I defending him in any way. Do I feel there is some sort of injustice here? I most certainly do. Do I feel Ben should be held accountable for his actions? I most certainly do.

There is no explanation why he decided to drive away like he did other than fear itself. The thing that amazes me the most is how much publicity this received, and I am talking about immediate publicity, about looking for a black truck and the location of the incident and he did not come forward immediately and say hey, this could have been me yesterday that was involved in the incident. It took a period of time to find his truck and discover it was him involved. Again, by saying what I am about to say is not saying it should suffice as his punishment but he will have to answer to the highest power when the time comes for his judgment. He will have to see the person he ended the life of way to short and this he will have to live with for eternity. The world today is so full of hatred and bitterness it scares me to think what it will be like when my grandchildren grow up. Life is not a fair game and there are no guarantees other than one day you will leave this world for a better life no matter how short it may be, for a better place. One thing I am really tired of hearing is the quote, "The Good Old Boy System". Give it a rest folks. I know you are upset at the outcome as I am upset as well, but to start this up is not helping anything. To the Hafford family, my heart, thoughts and prayers will remain with you in this time of heartache. Chief Whiteley and Kevin Barbour, thank you for your service. To Ben Ressel, as a Christian man I will always pray for you. In closing I would like to recite this saying, "Healing isn't just something God does. It's who He is". Steven & Debra, you chose a beautiful name for your daughter, one that God is surly proud of and trust me, Heavenly is in a Heavenly place and you will see her again. God Bless you all.

Roger Burton

Poplar Bluff