Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell got it part right.

As the attorney of the indicted sheriff said, "[A]fter careful consideration, he has concluded that in order to most effectively serve the people of Henry County who elected him, that during this investigation he must remove himself from all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the sheriff's office."

Cassell put himself on unpaid leave for the duration of the federal case against him.

It's true that to effectively serve those who elected him, Cassell needed to remove himself from the day-to-day operations of the office. But to truly serve the citizens of Henry County, unpaid leave isn't enough. They deserve a full-time sheriff unencumbered by a federal investigation.

The authorities even took his gun away.

As Henry County Attorney George Lyle asked, "Can he designate all of the duties of sheriff? I don't think so. That's the crucial question."

An elected official should not have the legal authority to essentially appoint a replacement to fill in for him while he is unable to fulfill his duties.

Cassell, as we said before, is entitled to the presumption of innocence. But if he is unable to carry out the duties he was elected to perform -- and he cannot -- then he should resign.