Rutherford County Sheriff's Office (NC)
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office is responsible for patrolling the towns and unincorporated areas of Rutherford County, North Carolina, operating the Detention Center, transporting inmates, securing the court house, executing warrants, serving civil papers, and ensuring public safety.[1] Additionally, the Rutherford County Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county. [2] The current sheriff is republican Aaron Ellenburg.[3][4][5] In 2016, the sheriff's salary was set at $82,555.[6]
Sheriff of Rutherford County, North Carolina | |
---|---|
Incumbent since December 5, 2022Aaron Ellenburg | |
Seat | Rutherfordton, North Carolina |
Term length | 4 years |
Formation | April 14, 1779 |
Salary | $95,509 (2022) |
Rutherford County Sheriff's Office | |
---|---|
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | Rutherford County, North Carolina |
Size | 566 sq mi (1,470 km2) |
Population | 64,444 (2020) |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | 198 N Washington Street, Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139 |
Agency executives |
|
Organizational Structure
editDivisions and units of the Sheriff's Office.[7]
- Administration
- Patrol
- Investigations
- Detective Unit
- Forensic Unit
- Narcotics Unit
- Support Services
- School Resource Officers
- Court House Security and Bailiffs
- Civil Process
- Warrant Process
- Detention Center
- Detention Crews
- Transportation
- Detention Investigator
Rank Structure
editThe current rank structure used by the sheriff's office had been in effect since January 2023.
Rank | Insignia | Information | Badge |
---|---|---|---|
Sheriff | Elected to four year terms. | Gold | |
Chief Deputy | Second in command. | Gold | |
Major |
|
Assists the Sheriff and Chief Deputy in supervising the divisions, completing administrative duties. | Gold |
Captain |
|
There are four Captains; one for each major division and one serving as Rutherford County Schools Investigator. | Gold |
Lieutenant |
|
In charge of a patrol unit and shift, or assists in detention center administration. | Gold |
First Sergeant | Assists the administration of the Detention Center. When the 911 Communications Center was part of the Sheriff's Office, the assistant director held the rank of first sergeant. | Silver | |
Sergeant[8] |
|
Supervises a unit or crew. | Silver[9] |
Corporal |
|
Serves as a school resource officer or supervisor in a unit. | Silver |
Deputy / Detective[10] / Detention Officer[8] | Detention Officers are non-sworn employees. Detectives are also known as "investigators". | Silver |
The leadership hierarchy as of December 2023:
- Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg
- Chief Deputy Randall Greenway
- Major Peter Wan
- Captain Marc Duncan, Rutherford County Schools Safety Officer
- Captain Chris Lovelace, Investigations
- Lieutenant J. Upton, Investigations
- Sergeant J. Greenway, Forensics
- Sergeant J. Mode, Narcotics
- Captain Jamie Keever, Detention Center (and Professional Standards)
- Lieutenant Patrick Wiseman
- Detective B. Friend
- First Sergeant B. Sprouse
- Sergeant J. Splawn, Detention Crew
- Sergeant B. Cole, Detention Crew
- Sergeant M. Logan, Detention Crew
- Lieutenant Patrick Wiseman
- Captain Stephen Ellis, Patrol
- Lieutenant T. Lowery, Patrol Crew A
- Sergeant J. McComas, Patrol Crew A
- Lieutenant Allen Hardin, Patrol Crew B
- Sergeant B. King, Patrol Crew B
- Lieutenant Corey Smith, Patrol Crew C
- Sergeant N. Ensley, Patrol Crew C
- Lieutenant Michael Snyder, Patrol Crew D
- Sergeant Wilmer Chavez Perez, Patrol Crew D
- Lieutenant T. Lowery, Patrol Crew A
- Captain Brian Gooch, Support Services
- Sergeant A. Greenway, School Resource Officers
- Sergeant E. Toney, Civil Process
- Sergeant J. Hoppes, Warrant Process
- Sergeant B. Hooper, Courthouse Security
- Captain Chris Lovelace, Investigations
- Chief Deputy Randall Greenway
Election of 2022
editThe race for sheriff began crowded with five people running for office: incumbent Chris Francis (R), Anthony 'Tony' Roberson (R), James 'Aaron' Ellenburg (R), Steve 'Theo' Theodoropoulos (R), and Jason Wease (D). Before the primary election in May 2022, Tony Roberson registered to run unaffiliated,[11] and Chris Francis had dropped out of the race after successfully being elected three times.[3][12] Aaron Ellenburg won the Republican primary, beating out Theodoropoulos by 2,360 votes.[13][14][15] In the Democratic primary, Jason Wease won by default without opposition. Three candidates remained and were on the general election ballot: Aaron Ellenburg (R), Jason Wease (D), and Tony Roberson (U).[16][17]
After receiving unofficial final election night results from all county precincts, Aaron Ellenburg is the winner of the general election being more than 11,000 votes ahead of Jason Wease and more than 13,000 votes ahead of Tony Roberson.[18] Ellenburg will be sworn in as the 47th Sheriff of Rutherford County on Monday, December 5, 2022 and will serve until the end of the term on Monday, December 7, 2026 per North Carolina General Statute § 163-1.[2][19]
Former Sheriffs
editSheriff | Term Began | Term Ended | Office Holder |
---|---|---|---|
Richard Singleton | 1779 | 1781 | 1st |
Andrew Hampton | 1781 | 1784 | 2nd |
John Lewis | 1784 | 1787 | 3rd |
Jonathan Hampton | 1787 | 1788 | 4th |
William Nevill | 1788 | 1789 | 5th |
James Withrow | 1789 | 1790 | 6th |
Robert Irvine | 1790 | 1792 | 7th |
Abram Irvine | 1792 | 1795 | 8th |
Daniel Camp | 1795 | 1796 | 9th |
James Boyle | 1796 | 1798 | 10th |
William Carson | 1798 | 1809 | 11th |
John Alley | 1809 | 1814 | 12th |
Frederick Alley | 1814 | 1820 | 13th |
Garland Dickerson | 1820 | 1821 | 14th |
William Carson | 1821 | 1836 | 15th |
William Wilkins | 1836 | 1838 | 16th |
James W. Carson | 1838 | 1842 | 17th |
William Wilkins | 1842 | 1846 | 18th |
M.O. Dickerson | 1846 | 1848 | 19th |
Madison Kilpatrick | 1848 | 1856 | 20th |
Andrew B. Long | 1856 | 1860 | 21st |
Martin Walker | 1860 | 1872 | 22nd |
John E. McFarland | 1872 | 1878 | 23rd |
Noah E. Walker | 1878 | 1884 | 24th |
John B. Blanton | 1884 | 1888 | 25th |
G.W. Long | 1888 | 1892 | 26th |
Ed Beam | 1892 | 1894 | 27th |
J.V. McFarland | 1894 | 1898 | 28th |
Elijah A. Martin | 1898 | 1908 | 29th |
C.E. Tanner | 1908 | 1918 | 30th |
James W. Beason | 1918 | 1924 | 31st |
W.C. Hardin | 1924 | 1930 | 32nd |
J. Ed McFarland | 1930 | 1932 | 33rd |
Charles C. Moore | 1932 | 1934 | 34th |
J. Ed. McFarland | 1934 | 1936 | 35th |
J. Cal Williams | 1936 | 1938 | 36th |
Charles C. Moore | 1938 | 1946 | 37th |
Vance Wilkins | 1946 | 1958 | 38th |
Damon Huskey[21] | 1958 | 1970 | 39th |
Blane Yelton | 1970 | 1974 | 40th |
Damon Huskey[21] | 1974 | 1986 | 41st |
Edgar Searcy[22] | 1986 | 1990 | 42nd |
Daniel J. Good | 1990 | 2005 | 43rd |
C. Philip Byers | 2005 | 2006 | 44th |
Jack L. Conner | December 4, 2006 | December 6, 2010 | 45th |
Chris Francis | December 6, 2010 | November 30, 2022 | 46th |
References
edit- ^ "Sheriff". Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Office of Sheriff in North Carolina" (PDF). North Carolina Sheriff's Association. 2018. p. 5. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b Carpenter, Scott (January 28, 2022). "Sheriff Chris Francis will not seek re-election". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Mulliger, Alyssa (2 December 2014). "Sheriff, deputies take oaths of office". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Andrews, M (7 April 2011). "Rutherford County's Youngest Sheriff... A Dream Realized". Rutherford Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Gebelein, Michael (28 December 2016). "Pay for law and order: WNC salaries for sheriffs and registers of deeds". Carolina Public Press. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Divisions". Rutherford County, NC. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b Kari, Barrows (19 October 2022). "Detention officers recognized for "heroic lifesaving actions" during overdose situation". WLOS ABC 13. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Nazelrod receives advanced professional certificate". Rutherford Weekly. 28 January 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Saylor, Jennifer (25 July 2017). "Rutherford deputies ask for help identifying suspect in ATM break-in". WLOS ABC 13. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Carpenter, Scott (30 December 2021). "Sheriff's candidate Roberson will bypass primary". Rutherford Weekly. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Mulliger, Alyssa (5 November 2014). "Four more years for Francis". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Starnes, Ritchie (19 May 2022). "Ellenburg's maiden campaign nets GOP nomination". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ https://cms6.revize.com/revize/rutherfordnc/document_center/Board%20of%20Elections/Historic%20Elections/County%20Canvass%20May%202022.pdf
- ^ Shaw, Amanda (17 May 2022). "ELECTION RESULTS: Voters decide 2022 NC Primary". FOX Carolina. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Aaron Ellenburg (Rutherford County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate 2022)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ https://ncsheriffs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022-Election-Chart.pdf
- ^ "11/08/2022 UNOFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - RUTHERFORD". North Carolina State Board of Elections. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Starnes, Ritchie (9 November 2022). "Voters choose Ellenburg in 3 candidate race". The Daily Courier. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ "Former Sheriffs". Rutherford County, NC. Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Damon Huskey Obituary". The Charlotte Observer. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Jean (25 June 2014). "Former sheriff Searcy dies at 75". The Daily Courer. Retrieved 8 November 2022.