Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The top law enforcement officer in Stanly County will continue to be a Republican after the results of Tuesday’s election.

Jeff Crisco retained his position as sheriff by earning 18,870 votes (81.934%), besting Democratic candidate Davara Ponds (4,330, 18.66%).

Crisco said his winning by such a large margin was two-fold, the first being “Republicans in this county are fed up with the Democratic government we have in D.C.”

The other part, he said, was the promise and commitment he made four years ago when he took office “to combat our drug problem, our property crime problem and many other things. I have done everything I said I was going to do and I will continue to do that.”

Crisco said he also made promises to the staff at the Sheriff’s Office, many of whom got together at his house to hear the results.

“One, I’ll always support you, right or wrong. We’re human beings. We make mistakes. We learn from them, we don’t do it again and we get better from those mistakes,” Crisco said. “We are one team.”

Crisco added when he took office, he told the staff what his expectations and visions were for the Sheriff’s Office.

He said he told staff, “Y’all are the ones that have made me look good. All I did was steer you in the right direction. You all were doing the work. That’s all I could ask for.”

Crisco said he plans in the next four years to keep moving forward with the plan he has had.

“We’re not going to let up on the drugs, not going to let up on people coming and stealing stuff from your property, whether home or business,” Crisco said.

The sheriff added he and Deputy Chief Ashley Thompson are passionate about “staying ahead of the curve.” To that end, he said officers will continue to receive not just general but specialized training.

Crisco also credited the partnerships the Sheriff’s Office has with the municipalities in the county.

The sheriff said he believes the conversation on expanding the jail will continue as new commissioners were elected to the board. He noted the jail averages 154 inmates, well above the maximum number for which it is rated, which is 131. Stanly also has paid $270,000 for an average of 22 inmates being housed at various facilities in the state.

To offset the numbers, Crisco said 40 to 50 inmates had been in the old jail, but state officials have told Crisco there are parts of the old facility which are no longer up to code and can not be used.

Crisco also said he wished to “thank the citizens of Stanly County for entrusting in me, voting for me and giving me the opportunity for four more years to do an even better job than what we’ve done thus far.”