“The rumor about their daughter being sexually abused is false.
"There's so much parsed wording in this case,"
Yes, parsed for sure. Not sexual abuse, but maybe in other ways? There is so much tip toeing around all the "information" we have, to not point the finger at the judge or let the Sheriff off the hook.
Something was/is going on in the area, and it came to a head as Stines could/would no longer tolerate in his position as Sheriff/father/husband. or as a man. This was his way of stopping/correcting that something. Drugs activity in the area has been freely mentioned, somewhere back in these posts, something on poker club gambling. The field is wide and wild ranging.
I think the true motive will out, and in the not so distant future. There are too many supporting players here for it to be kept secret. Just MOO.