This story is part nine of the “Tribute to Brown County first responders” series by Wade Linville (editor of The News Democrat, The Ripley Bee, and The Brown County Press).
Buddy Moore’s interest in working in law enforcement began when he was just a young boy in the 1980s. As he nears his 29th year at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office with retirement less than a year away, he is thankful to have gotten the opportunity to protect and serve in the community he loves while working alongside some remarkable individuals who hold the same desire, to assist others in their times of need.
He currently serves as the Lieutenant over road patrol at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, a position he’s held since 2018.
Moore was around 10 years old in the mid-1980s when was stung by a scorpion while on a camping trip with family at Norris Dam State Park in Tennessee.
Moore was stung on palm of his hand while retrieving a piece of wood to chock a tire. Fortunately, his family was able to stop a passing park ranger to assist.
A member of his family had killed the scorpion after it stung the young Buddy Moore, and they were able to show the dead scorpion to the park ranger.
The park ranger alerted the family that in about 30 minutes Moore would start vomiting, which is exactly what happened.
The park ranger then took Moore for a ride where he could get further medical assistance.
“He loads me up in his squad car in the front seat, and we go screaming to the hospital, lights and sirens,” said Moore. “I believe that is what started my thoughts of becoming a cop.”
Moore has continued to tell the story of his scorpion trip to Tennessee over the years, the day he began to develop the goal in life of working in law enforcement.
Moore later developed friendships with some of the police officers in the Mt. Orab community, including Jay Shaw.
Shaw was one who Moore said “took him under his wing” to help him get a start in first response law enforcement.
He went on to work with Shaw for a number of years.
When asked of people who have inspired him throughout his career in law enforcement, there have been so many that Moore was afraid he would leave someone out. But while reflecting on his long career in law enforcement, his stories included some of the names of those who have had a positive impact on his life and his career including former Brown County Sheriff Wendell Crawford, Carl Smith, John Fetters, former sheriff Dwayne Wenninger, Larry Meyer, the late Don Stone, current sheriff Gordon Ellis, Buddy Coburn, Jay Shaw and Sgt. Chuck Ernst, who he has served with for the past 25 years.
“Chuck and I have been through a lot together,” said Moore.
Moore recalled the day Wendell Crawford hired him at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
“I got through the (police) academy, passed, and I was sitting at home when the phone rang. It was Sheriff Crawford. We chit-chatted a little bit and he tells me who he is, and then he asked me, ‘Boy, do you want a job?’ I said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He said, ‘Come down here Monday.’ I went down on Monday and he gave me the job. Two weeks later, Beth Littleton came to me and said, ‘You need to fill out an application,’” Moore recalled.
And there is one former member of local law enforcement who Moore credits for saving his life, the late Dave Stamper.
Struggling to keep his emotions at bay, Moore reflected on the day Stamper saved his life and the lives of other members of local law enforcement.
Tracking down a man wanted in a child endangerment case involving the drowning of a four-year-old, members of local law enforcement prepared to enter a house where the suspect was located.
“Larry Meyer and I go to the front door. Dave Stamper, Don Stone, and I believe it was Dave Johnson who went to the back. We had prior intel that he was armed,” Moore explained. “I get to the front door and knock, and the mom comes to the door, only opening it up enough just to slide out…not typical. So, she slides out and I forget our conversation, but I remember her saying, ‘I don’t want anybody to get hurt.’ Then, we hear a lot of commotion inside the home. At that point, I look at Larry and say, ‘Let’s just back off.’ By this time the other guys were at the back of the trailer already. It was just a gut feeling to not go in. We were backing off and she (the mom) goes back inside.”
Moore, using his radio, attempted to alert the officers at the back of the home that his team in the front had backed off and was taking cover, but radio communications back then weren’t what they are today.
“They couldn’t make out what we were saying, and they thought we were fighting with him (the suspect). So, they were trying to force their way in the back door,” Moore continued.
Stamper busted through the back door to find the suspect hiding in the home with an AK-47 rifle aimed right at the front door, ready to shoot at Moore and Meyer who just prior were ready to enter through the front door. Stamper immediately ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, but was forced to fire a fatal shot when the suspect refused.
“Dave saved our lives,” said Moore.
Stamper passed away in 2018, a longtime member of local law enforcement who had an impact on many other members of law enforcement.
Looking back on his long career, Moore recalled his role in the 1997 murder for hire case involving victim Donald “Whitey” Hoop.
After working in corrections, Moore had only been on road patrol duty for a few months when he came across the murder for hire case.
According to court documents, it was at approximately 1:30 a.m. on February 10, 1997, when Deputy Buddy Moore of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office noticed a suspicious looking truck leaving Slammers Bar in Mt. Orab.
He observed the truck turn into the driveway of a residence across the street from Slammers.
Moments later, the Brown County 911 dispatcher received a telephone report of a shooting in the Slammers parking lot, and Moore was dispatched to the scene. When he arrived, Moore found Joy Hoop, the owner of Slammers, kneeling over Donald’s body and crying. Moore called for assistance, returned to the body, and determined that there was no pulse. A search of Slammers revealed no further victims or any suspects.
Trooper Walden of the Ohio State Patrol arrived, and Moore requested that Walden go to the residence where the earlier-observed truck had parked. Walden found that the truck was still present at the residence. Walden and Moore knocked on the front door, and Kathy Kerr, the homeowner, answered. When asked if the man who had driven the truck was in the house, Kerr stated that he was in the bathroom.
The officers were led to the bathroom, where Carl G. Lindsey was discovered washing himself. Lindsey’s clothes were soaking in bloody water in the bathtub. On the vanity was a pocketknife and a box of ammunition. Moore arrested Lindsey, and Lindsey’s clothes were seized, as was Donald’s wallet, which was found in the bathroom garbage can and contained over $1,000. The officers also seized the pocketknife and ammunition. A Jennings .22 caliber automatic pistol was found behind the bathroom door.
Admitting that earlier that evening Joy Hoop, Kerr, Lindsey, and Kenneth Swinford had talked about killing Donald, she maintained that the conversation was only a joke, and that she had not intended for Donald to be harmed.
On May 29, 1997, Joy Hoop was indicted by a Brown County grand jury for her alleged participation in the murder and charged in four counts: conspiracy with Carl Lindsey to commit the murder and three different theories of complicity with Lindsey in the murder; each count carrying the same two death penalty specifications. Lindsey was sentenced and received the death penalty.
Moore, a Mt. Orab native, has worked his entire law enforcement career at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, attending the police officer training academy straight out of high school and then taking a job at the sheriff department.
On July 26, 1994, Moore began his career at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer in the jail. Moore felt working in the jail helped to prepare him for road patrol, which he began in early 1997 after nearly three years as a corrections officer.
“I feel anyone going into law enforcement should have to work in a jail. That is the best training aid out there,” said Moore. “It taught me how to talk to people, and it really taught me patience. You have to learn how to interact with people.”
Moore worked in investigations at the Brown County Sheriff’s Office starting in 2008 before taking over as the Lieutenant of Road Patrol in 2018.
Over the years, Moore has seen some amazing advancements in technology for those in his line of work. Among the most recent is facial recognition technology. By simply taking a photo of someone’s face with their cell phone, Brown County Sheriff deputies can quickly find out who that person is. During the 30-day trial of using the face ID technology, it was found to be a great success.
“We have had numerous success stories by just taking a picture of someone’s face, entering it into the database, and within two to three minutes we can find out who that person is,” Moore explained.
The facial recognition technology was recently used to find the identity of a person involved in an accidental drug overdose.
Moore’s current duties at the sheriff department involve overseeing the daily operations of road patrol in Brown County and overseeing court services. Over the years, Moore has climbed the ranks to be in the leadership position that he’s in today, and he said he’s fortunate to have a great crew of road deputies working under him.
“We have great sergeants that take care of their shifts. Most of the people we are bringing in here are great people,” Moore said of his patrol crew.
Over the years, Moore has received a number of commendations for his service as a local first responder working in law enforcement.
There are good times and there are bad, but Moore wouldn’t change a thing about his experience as a member of local law enforcement. It’s not a job fit for everyone, as it takes a great deal of strength, patience, and understanding to deal with members of the general public who may be experiencing the worst times in their lives. Moore is a person who takes great pride in getting the opportunity to keep Brown County residents safe.
Moore plans to retire in April of next year, reaching the end of what has been a very memorable and rewarding career.
“To everyone I’ve worked with and who have helped me in my career, thank you,” said Moore. “The citizens of Brown County make our job easier, because we do have great people.”