CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — In a tight runoff, unofficial election results show Levon Allen will serve as Clayton County's sheriff. Allen -- the projected winner -- beat his opponent Clarence Cox in Tuesday's election.
The unofficial results show Allen had about 51 percent of the vote.
However, voter turnout was only at 8 percent for this race. Take a look at the results below.
The effort to become the county's top law enforcement officer comes as part of the fallout from embattled former sheriff Victor Hill. Hill served four terms as sheriff before he was accused of federal civil rights violations. He was found guilty of violating the rights of six inmates while they were under his supervision and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.
Allen has been serving as interim sheriff since Hill's departure. According to his candidate bio on his website, Allen had approached Hill at the sheriff's office in 2008 and explained his goal to one day become sheriff. Allen now claims Hill as his godfather and says he became his protégé.
Before his long career in the Clayton County Sheriff's Office, Allen's law enforcement career started in 2010 in DeKalb County as a detention officer. Allen would eventually obtain a correctional officer position in Clayton County. He worked through the ranks in the sheriff's office, including as chief deputy, his website reads.