Jay Koon reelected Lexington County sheriff during Republican primary
LEXINGTON, S.C. (WIS) - Jay Koon, the current Lexington County sheriff, has been reelected during the June 11 Republican primary.
He faced two challengers for the June 11 primaries, both retired cops who plan to come out of retirement if elected.
Early election results showed Sheriff Koon running away with the Republican primary. He had more than twice the number of votes of his second place challenger, Billy Warren ― despite Warren clinching an endorsement from the Lexington County Republican Party.
Around 74% of precincts were reporting in Lexington County at around 10 p.m. in the evening, and Koon still had a considerable lead against his challengers.
Voters in Lexington County told WIS News 10 this race is the most important one on the ballot during the primary.
Koon picked up notable endorsements from Gov. Henry McMaster and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Koon began his law enforcement career in 1993. He said he has focused heavily on turning the department around after his predecessor was indicted and removed from office.
All three candidates promised to address the sheriff’s department’s current staffing shortage if elected.
“With everything going on, not only did we hold the line, crime is down,” said Koon. “And I think the simple question to the voters [is] ‘Are we better than we were nine years ago?’ And if you were here, then I think the obvious answer is yes.”
However, challenger Billy Warren said the reason crime is down is because incidents are not being reported and officers are not being dispatched.
Warren began his law enforcement career in 1985 with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and then went on to the South Carolina Highway Patrol before retiring after 23 years in 2017. Warren told WIS News 10 a part of the reason deputies are not being dispatched to calls is due to staffing shortages.
“They say crime is down. You can’t say that when you aren’t answering all the calls. That is inaccurate data that skewed numbers. I’ve had so many people tell me ‘Mr. Warren, they never showed up.’ So, you can’t report crime is down if you aren’t showing up,” said Warren.
Koon argued the staffing shortage is due in part to the pandemic and civil unrest in 2020, but he said staffing has improved during his current term.
Meanwhile, challenger Alan Driggers told WIS News 10 it’s been a problem long before the pandemic.
Driggers is no rookie in law enforcement, having served over 24 years. Driggers worked alongside Koon until his retirement as lieutenant in 2020.
“They need help, and I think there are a lot of people that know that, but there just wasn’t anyone talking about it,” said Driggers. “Even if all the current positions that are vacant are filled, the sheriff’s department is still understaffed for a county our size.”
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