You can't Deputy Schmidt, he barked at the young officer guarding his gate. Don't let them through. That's an order. Schmidt hesitated, hand hovering near his weapon. Federal agents tensed, weapons ready but not raised.
The morning air crackled with tension. Last chance, Sheriff, Ruiz called out. Come peacefully or we add resisting arrest. Instead of complying, Kerns spun and bolted for his door. Schmidt made his choice, rushing to block the gate with his patrol car.
It was the wrong move. Two agents tackled Schmidt before he could draw his weapon. They slammed him against his cruiser's hood, cuffs clicking shut as he struggled. "You're interfering with a federal arrest. " one agent growled. "Bad career move, son. " More agents poured through the now open gate.
Kerns barely made it three steps inside his house before they caught him. He thrashed and cursed as they dragged him back onto his pristine front lawn. "This is persecution. " he shouted as agents forced him to his knees. "This is all because of that troublemaker Boone. He's the real criminal. " News vans screeched to a halt outside the gate.
Cameras rolled as Kerns fought against the handcuffs, his bathrobe tangled around his legs. His perfectly quaffed hair fell in disarray across his sweating face. "You're making a huge mistake. " Spittle flew from his mouth. "I have friends in Washington. " "I'll have all your badges. " Ruiz knelt beside him, tightening the cuffs another notch. "Your friends are being arrested, too, Sheriff. " "The game's over. " A crowd gathered beyond the gate.
Some of Kerns' supporters shouted angry protests, but they were drowned out by cheers and calls for justice. Signs appeared. Black Farmers Matter and End Corrupt Policing. Mrs. Kerns appeared in the doorway, wrapped in an expensive silk robe.
Her face remained expressionless as agents led her husband down the winding driveway. She didn't move to help or comfort him, just watched with cold eyes as his empire crumbled. The morning sun climbed higher as news helicopters circled overhead. Their cameras captured every stumbling step of Kerns' walk of shame. The same path he'd forced countless others to walk over his years of corruption.
"You can't do this to me. " Kerns kept shouting as agents guided him toward an armored transport. "I'm the sheriff. " "Not anymore. " Ruiz corrected him reading his rights over his continued protests. "You have the right to remain silent. I suggest you use it. " Neighbors emerged from nearby mansions to watch the spectacle. Some filmed with phones.
Others quickly retreated inside, perhaps wondering if they'd be next. The investigations were far from over. Deputy Schmidt was loaded into a separate vehicle. His young face shocked as reality set in. His blind loyalty to Kerns had just destroyed his career.
Other deputies who arrived to support their sheriff quickly backed away, not wanting to share his fate. Mrs. Kerns finally moved, but only to close the heavy door with a decisive click. Through the windows, agents could be seen beginning their search, carrying out boxes and computers. The mansion's security cameras recorded it all, just as Elijah's had recorded the raid on his farm.