CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Voters in Clayton County are heading to the polls to elect the next sheriff. On the ballot is a hotly contested race to see who will succeed one of Clayton County's most controversial figures.
Five candidates are entering the bid for sheriff following the abrupt retirement of Victor Hill. The former sheriff was convicted in a federal court in an inmate abuse trial.
When is early voting in Clayton County?
Early voting is available at seven county sites, according to the Clayton County website.
Can I vote absentee?
The deadline to request an absentee ballot application deadline is March 10. To request an absentee ballot, do so by clicking the link here.
When is election day for Clayton County Sheriff?
Election day will be held March 21. Voters will need to go to their designated polling location to vote in person. Polling locations are listed on the Clayton County website. For more information about voter registration, click here.
Who is running for Clayton County Sheriff?
Levon Allen
Levon Allen, who was appointed interim sheriff, is one of the five candidates. Allen's goals are to “clean up Clayton County, take back the street and protect [the county’s] children and seniors,” according to his campaign website.
Allen, who prides himself at being Victor Hill’s protégé and godson, was the only candidate to not attend the community forum.
The forum was held to discuss the jail's conditions and hear community concerns following Hill's conviction and his alleged abuse of county inmates.
Clarence Cox
Clarence Cox is the chief investigator for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s Office, according to his campaign website. Cox was initially hired by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office back in 1982.
Since then, he’s gone on to work in several fields in law enforcement, overseeing several drug task forces and the creation of the police department for Clayton County Public schools, the site said.
During the forum, Cox declared staffing as a major issue facing the jail.
“We’ll never have a safe jail if we don’t have enough people in there, and we are putting our employees as well as our inmates in harm’s way each day,” Cox said.
Terry Evans
Terry Evans has worked in several leadership positions at the CCSO. Evans' career in law enforcement started after he spent four years in the marine core, according to his campaign site.
The veteran worked at the Georgia Department of Corrections before spending over 20 years "in a variety of leadership positions" working at the sheriff’s office.
Evans also said a lack of training was a problem plaguing the jail. If elected, he said he would provide the jail staff with better training and tools.
“People have got to get trained, people have got to have some compassion, people have got to do things the right way,” Evans said. “And if you do it the right way, you don’t have that kind of stuff that goes on.”
Dwayne Fabian
Dwayne Fabian began his career in law enforcement more than 30 years ago as an officer with the Savannah Police Department. After seven years, he left the department to work for the Georgia State Patrol, according to his campaign website.
Fabian went on to "supervise a team of troopers' operations" while working in Forest Park. He is also Chaplain of the Men’s Ministry at the Knights Monumental A.M.E. Church in Stockbridge.
Fabian believes that a top-to-bottom sweep of the jail would help improve its conditions.
“To remove all contraband that don’t belong in the jail, to remove all cell phones that don’t belong in the jail, and start watching our employees who help smuggle these things inside the jail,” Fabian said.
Chris Storey
Chris Storey is a law enforcement officer with the CCSO. Storey joined the sheriff's office as a correctional officer. Over the past 22 years, he has worked his way up to major, attending SWAT commanders school in 2018, according to his campaign website.
Storey is an active member in the National Sheriff’s Association, National Stalking Resource Center and the Federal Law Enforcement Center. He and his wife Marcia have been married for 31 years. Together, the couple have four daughters, the site said.
During the forum, Storey discussed the need for transparency when talking about the jail conditions, which included the good and bad.
“So we have a crisis,” Storey said. “The sheriff’s office is in distress, right now. And it’s going to take somebody who really knows how to run the sheriff’s office to get it where it needs to be.”
What else is on the ballot?
Two other topics are on the ballot. A vote will be held to select a replacement for Democratic Rep. Mike Glanton of Jonesboro, who stepped down for health reasons. Democrat Herman "Drew" Andrews, Republican Della Ashley and Democrat Eric W. Bell II are the three candidates vying for the position.
The community will also hold a vote on whether or not to allocate $434,660,00 to the Clayton County School District for several upgrades including the creation of a new high school.