If not the most despised, he's in the group picture

We haven't heard about any folks anywhere in America who've been trying to drum up a defense fund for the recently arrested pharmaceutical executive and former hedge-fund magnate Martin Shkreli. If there is such an effort, it's being conducted, as the saying goes, on the downlow.

For one thing, Shkreli doesn't need the money -- at least, not yet. For another, he has, according to some measures of public contempt, toppled house-of-cards billionaire swindler Bernie Madoff as "the most hated man in America."

Shkreli, of course, is the former head of Turing Pharmaceuticals who acquired exclusive American rights to sell Daraprim -- which treats a life-threatening parasitic infection common to people suffering from AIDS -- and promptly raised the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill, an increase of more than 5,000 percent. Far from being shamed by the public outrage that ensued, he doubled down, saying he should have jacked up the price even more.

That public outrage has subsequently turned, rightly or wrongly, into widespread public glee after Shkreli's arrest last week on charges of securities fraud related to another pharmaceutical company he once ran. He has since resigned his post with Turing, which issued a statement saying it is now "committed to ensuring that all patients have ready and affordable access to Daraprim." We'll see.

Shkreli's arrest has nothing to do with the price-gouging issue. Rather, he is accused of having lost some $11 million in hedge fund investors' money through bad trades, then used his position as CEO of Retrophin to loot that pharmaceutical company's coffers for the money to pay it off.

Shkreli is of course entitled to the presumption of innocence in a court of law. The court of public opinion recognizes no such right, especially for somebody who's done everything in his power to forfeit it.

Generous tribute

Kudos to new nonprofit Back Columbus Blue, co-founded by local businessmen Paul Voorhees and Jed Harris, for showing local police officers some tangible appreciation for the tough job they do on our behalf.

On Friday, Paul Voorhees Ministries served almost 700 meals, catered by Country's Barbecue, to active and retired Columbus police officers and their families. Harris said the group hopes to include the Sheriff's and Marshal's offices as well as fire and EMS personnel in future appreciation events like this.

Voorhees, of course, is known to most in the area as the longtime owner of Ranger Joe's on Victory Drive. His ministry put up the approximately $8,000 it cost to provide about 200 breakfasts and about 500 lunches for peace officers and their families.

"We wanted them to have a few minutes of joy, peace and fellowship with one another for a nice Christmas meal. That was our goal."

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 4:35 PM with the headline "If not the most despised, he's in the group picture ."