Paul Agneberg in his own words: Eagle County Sheriff candidate seeks to decriminalize plant medicine, bring new approach to policing
Arthur Wessel/Courtesy photo
The Vail Daily is running Q&As with the two candidates running for a four-year term as Eagle County sheriff.
The vote will be part of the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, and is being conducted as a mail ballot election. Ballots will be mailed out starting Monday, Oct. 17. The last recommended day for voters to mail in ballots is Oct. 31, and polling stations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. For more information, visit Eaglecounty.us/clerkandrecorder/votingandelections.
Name: Paul Agneberg
Occupation: Herbalist, Rites of Passage Guide, Rainbow Warrior
Town/neighborhood: Edwards
Length of residence in Eagle County: Born and raised in Vail, 37 years
Why do you want to serve as Eagle County Sheriff? What relevant experience would you bring to the role?
My goal in performing public service is to teach others the personal responsibility required to be self-governing while reinstating our government systems back to the original intention our Founding Fathers envisioned.
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My qualifications come from my law training, since 2016, and through challenging our justice system, fighting for our civil rights. Since November 2020, I’ve trained under a mentor in preparation for this role of sheriff. My experiences provide me with a unique perspective into the workings of our government systems and I understand how to administer the responsibilities of the sheriff according to our legal system and the Constitution.
My law training, in actuality, rivals any law degree, and I challenge anybody in Eagle County to a public debate on law.
What has the current sheriff’s office done well? What could have been done better?
The Sheriff’s Office has done well in hiring courteous, honorable and integrous people.
However, our government systems are not operating constitutionally and it’s the duty of the sheriff to ensure that they are. One example: the deputy district attorneys who prosecute many of the cases in Eagle County do not have oaths of office, and therefore, according to the Colorado Constitution, have vacated their positions and are disqualified from prosecuting.
(Editor’s note: District Attorney Heidi McCollum, of the 5th Judicial District, says that claim is “wholly inaccurate” and that each deputy district attorney has a sworn oath that they are required to take, and that oath is administered by a 5th Judicial District Judge. Elected district attorneys are state offices, not county offices, and each deputy district attorney has an oath filed with the Colorado Secretary of State as is statutorily required, McCollum said.)
Recently, the Avon PD seized my property without a warrant. According to the Fourth Amendment of the Federal Constitution, law enforcement officers must obtain a warrant in order to seize property.
(Editor’s note: This claim is in reference to an event this summer when the Avon police towed Agneberg’s car because it is considered by the state to be an unregistered vehicle. Agneberg says he has chosen not to register his car since 2016.)
Why is this lawlessness perpetuated by our own government officials allowed to occur in our county?
Who will ensure that our justice system isn’t running roughshod over the People?
Who will hold our government officials accountable to their Oaths of Office?
Who will ensure that our constitutional Rights are protected from overzealous government officials, including police officers and IRS agents?
As sheriff, I will.
If elected, what are the main objectives you would like to accomplish as sheriff in the next four years? How do you plan to make this happen?
I will decriminalize plant medicine, meaning that the Sheriff’s Department will take no action against people cultivating and sharing substances occurring from nature. The freedom to cultivate and share plant medicines locally creates stronger community bonds and safer access to these medicines.
I will put a stop to the enforcement of victimless crimes against peaceful, non-violent People. Our government systems create criminals in the form of commercial codes and criminal codes for the purpose of generating revenue while prosecuting people in admiralty courts that violate our Constitutional rights.
Calls for police reform have been prominent in the past few years. What are some recent reforms in Eagle County that you feel have been beneficial to local policing practices? Are there additional reforms you believe would benefit the community and/or police force?
I feel any recent reform doesn’t actually do anything to address the roots of the problems.
Because we, the People, are the government, we have the authority to alter our local systems and administer justice as we see fit. This includes reforming our detention center from a place of punishment into a place of true rehabilitation using Restorative Justice models.
The main goal of a detention center is to hold people awaiting trial. So, if we value the presumption of innocence, then why are we punishing innocent people who have yet to be convicted? The Sheriff is in charge of the inmates of the county jail facility. As Sheriff, I have the authority to offer activities that positively impact the mental health of inmates, rather than punishment.
