| Bud Dearborne | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bud Dearborne | |
| Aliases: | Sheriff Dearborne |
| Continuity: | True Blood |
| Type: | Law enforcement |
| Gender: | Male |
| Location: | Bon Temps, Louisiana |
| Known relatives: | Unnamed wife; Undetermined number of children; Undetermined number of grandchildren [1] |
| Died: | 2009 [2] |
| Introduction: | Dead Until Dark "Strange Love" |
| Actor: | William Sanderson |
Bud Dearborne is a fictional character from "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" series of novels written by Charlaine Harris. The novels have been adapted into the popular HBO television series, True Blood, where the role of Bud Dearborne was played by actor William Sanderson.
Biography[]
Bud Dearborne is the sheriff of Renard Parish, and has served in this capacity for nearly twenty years. Bud is a fair-minded man who keeps in close contact with members of the community and is always willing to give a person the benefit of the doubt. He often works along side detective Andy Bellefleur, though he does not share Andy's hardline approach to law enforcement.
In 2008, Bud was called in to investigate the murder of a local woman named Maudette Pickens. A videotape recovered from the crime scene implicated a man named Jason Stackhouse, showing that he was with Maudette on the night that she died (even though the tape also provided evidence suggesting that he did not have anything to do with her death). Bud and Andy went to the job site where Jason was working and brought him in for questioning. Bud knew that Jason was a man of disreputable character, but didn't for a moment believe that he had killed Maudette. Andy however, disliked Jason greatly and was more than willing to believe that he was capable of just about anything. They showed him the videotape and asked him about his relationship with Maudette, but ultimately, they had to let him go. (TB: Strange Love)
Sheriff Dearborne then investigated two more strange deaths. Mack and Denise Rattray were found killed when a tornado apparently overturned the trailer they were living in at Four Tracks Corner. Bud labeled it a crime scene and had difficulty believing that a tornado would touch down exactly where the Rattrays lived and nowhere else. What made Bud incredulous was the fact that two nights prior, the Rattrays had a violent encounter with a waitress named Sookie Stackhouse. Dearborne knew that Stackhouse had developed an interest in a vampire named Bill Compton, and suspected that Compton may have killed the Rattrays and disguised their deaths to look like an accident. Without any hard evidence to pursue an investigation, Sheriff Dearborne kept these suspicions to himself. (TB: The First Taste)
Bud Dearborne soon found himself called in to investigate another murder, this time a waitress named Dawn Green. Similar to the case with Maudette, Dawn was killed the same evening after having sex with Jason Stackhouse. Jason arrived at Dawn's house only seconds after her body was discovered by his sister, Sookie. Bud was forced to bring Jason in for questioning once again, but still couldn't bring himself to believe that Jason was capable of murder. Andy Bellefleur however, was convinced that Jason killed both Maudette and Dawn. Jason's friend, Tara Thornton, didn't believe Jason was guilty either, and provided an alibi to Sheriff Dearborne to explain Jason's whereabouts. Dearborne knew that Tara was lying to protect Jason, but couldn't prove it. As before, he was forced to let Jason go. (TB: Escape from Dragon House)
Following the discovery of a headless body in a drainage ditch, Bud Dearborne decided that he could no longer deal with the gruesome cases that had been coming across his desk for the past year. Complaining that after all his years in service, the only thing he had to show for it was gaps in his brain and polyps in his ass. He tore his badge from his shirt and quit the department. (TB: 9 Crimes)
Over the following year, Bud developed colon cancer, but with treatment, he was able to beat it. In addition to his love for square dancing, Bud also began cheating on his wife, carrying on an affair with a woman named Sweetie Des Arts. (TB: In the Beginning) Sweetie was the leader of an anti-supernatural hate group and held the title of Dragon - similar to that of the Ku Klux Klan. Bud became a member of this group, colloquially referred to as the Obamas due to their penchant for wearing Barack Obama masks. They would go out and hunt down supernatural creatures such as shape-shifters and vampires and destroy them. Their hate also extended towards supernatural sympathizers as well. The Obamas abducted Hoyt Fortenberry after he had failed to destroy vampire Jessica Hamby.
Bud and Sweetie Des Arts conducted their business out of a pig farm owned by Bud's family. They kept Hoyt Fortenberry tied up there, where they intended on killing them. Sookie Stackhouse came to see Bud on a completely unrelated matter, but Bud, fearing that her telepathic abilities would ferret out his secret had her knocked out and brought to the farm. Sheriff Andy Bellefleur and Deputy Jason Stackhouse discovered that Bud was either the Dragon or in league with the Dragon and conducted a raid on the farm. During the firefight, Bud attacked Sam Merlotte, but was shot and killed. (TB: Everybody Wants to Rule the World)
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Bud Dearborne was created by writer/director Alan Ball based on concepts originally developed by author Charlaine Harris.
- In the "Southern Vampire Mysteries" novels, Bud's last name is spelled Dearborn.
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ True Blood: Bad Blood
- ↑ Although the episode aired in 2012, the events from the episode actually take place in the Winter of 2009.
