Official Possibly Tied to Inquiry Threatens Suicide

COLLINSVILLE, Va. â€”  An outspoken administrator who has tried for years to rebuild Henry County’s ailing economy was found in the woods threatening suicide as police searched his office as part of an embezzlement probe.

Sid Clower, 50, the county’s top official, remained hospitalized for undisclosed reasons Wednesday, a day after deputies said they had to wrestle a loaded handgun away from him.

“He was pretty distraught,� Sheriff Frank Cassell said. “He kept apologizing for putting us through all the trouble.�

By the time officers took Clower on Tuesday, state police had arrived at the county administration building with search warrants, seizing computer hard drives from Clower’s and other offices.

Prosecutor Don Caldwell said the search was part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement of public funds in Henry County.

Neither Caldwell nor state police would comment about the investigation. Cassell and county officials said Wednesday that there had been no arrests in the case.

News of the suicide attempt shocked many county officials.

“If I were to list all the people in this building that would do something like that, he would be at the bottom,� said Benny Summerlin, the county’s deputy administrator.

Clower, the county’s leader since 1996, has complained that federal trade agreements were killing traditional manufacturing communities like his because companies could now freely move oversees for cheaper labor.

Clower voluntarily cut his $110,000 salary by 10% last year because of declining tax revenue in a county hit hard by the slump in the textile industry.

Once known as the “Sweatshirt Capital of the World,� Henry County has seen 21 factories closed and 10 others downsized since 1993, forcing more than 9,300 people out of work.

VF Imagewear, the county’s largest employer, announced in November that it would lay off about 2,300 textile workers in the region.

On Tuesday, Summerlin opened an envelope from Clower that he said “concluded with several sentences that made me really concerned about his well being.�

A search of the county building didn’t turn up Clower and officials called the sheriff’s office. Clower was found two hours later a mile away in a wooded area.

Nobody answered the door at Clower’s home in Collinsville. His wife, Elaine, issued a statement Wednesday through county officials:

“Please continue to pray for us. The love and concern the community has shown us is greatly appreciated,� it said.