Politics & Government

Sheriff Wins Sixth, Last Term

Unofficial results indicate Cherokee County Sheriff Roger Garrison survived a challenge from Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. David Waters.

Roger Garrison, whose bid toward a sixth term was threatened by and the , appeared to survive a challenge from Forsyth County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. David Waters.

According to unofficial results from the , Garrison garnered 68.6 percent of the vote, or 26,511 votes.

With all 42 precincts reporting, Waters received 31.4 percent of the vote, or 12,113 votes. 

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Garrison refused to talk to Patch after his win.

"You run a trash organization," he told a reporter.

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In May, 16-year-old Andrew Messina was killed in the Eagle Watch subdivision during a standoff with the  SWAT team. Though the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office cleared the officer who fired the fatal shot of any wrongdoing, opponents of Garrison said the incident proved it was time for a change of leadership. During a debate at the Cherokee County Republican headquarters in Towne Lake, Messina's family and others showed up in 'I Am Andrew' T-shirts, according to the Cherokee Tribune.

In June, the campaign turned personal. WSB-TV reported that Garrison wore a Ku Klux Klan hood and robe to a Halloween party nearly 30 years ago. The sheriff accused Waters of leaking the photos, a claim that Waters and WSB-TV said was not true. The , and at one another.

And last month, Cherokee County emergency director Robby Westbrook, the man who everyone relies on when severe weather hits Cherokee County, said that he would retire if  defeated .

Despite the tenor of the campaign, Garrison garnered endorsements from a wide range of local and state officials: Gov. Nathan Deal, Attorney General Sam Olens, and the mayors of Canton, Holly Springs, Woodstock, Ball Ground and Waleska. Waters' only major endorsement came from the Fraternal Order of Police, which aim to reflect the interests of officers in Cherokee and nearby jurisdictions.

Look for a video report on Wednesday.

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