NEW FACES FOR SHERIFF’S OFFICES ACROSS BRAZOS VALLEY; SEVERAL RUNOFF ELECTIONS UPCOMING
Change is in the works for several of the Sheriff’s Offices across the region, following Tuesday night’s primary elections.
While the voters in Austin, Fayette, and Grimes Counties opted to stick with the incumbent on the Republican ballot, Brazos and Burleson Counties will move forward with new Sheriffs.
Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s races in Lee and Waller County will move to a runoff election on May 26th to either decide on a new Sheriff—the case with Lee County—or to choose a Republican to run against Democratic opposition in November—the case in Waller County.
In Austin County, where final results were not released until early this (Wednesday) morning, incumbent Jack Brandes won the bid for his third term in office, defeating challenger Ronnie Griffin, Precinct Three Constable of Austin County, with 4,004 votes to Griffin’s 843. Brandes does not have a Democratic opponent for November’s general election.
In the three-man race for Sheriff in Brazos County, Brazos County Jail Administrator Wayne Dicky defeated Bryan Police Sergeant Jason James in the Republican race 9,612 to 8,340. Dicky will face Democrat and Brazos County Jailor Patrick Logan in the November election to fill the position of outgoing Sheriff Chris Kirk, who is stepping down after six four-year terms as Sheriff.
Burleson County’s Republican race saw Burleson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Gene Hermes defeat Brazos County Sheriff’s School Resource Officer Jayson Lyday by a total of 2,147 to 1,320. Hermes will not have opposition in November. Dale Stroud is currently serving as interim Sheriff, following former Sheriff Thomas Norsworthy’s resignation in October.
In Fayette County, Republican incumbent Keith Korenek comfortably won his fifth term in office against challenger and Flatonia police officer Cody George 4,421 to 540. Korenek will not have a Democratic opponent in November.
Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell also won his re-election bid and will soon begin his sixth term, after defeating challenger and former Grimes County District Attorney’s Investigator Travis Higginbotham in the Republican primary 3,002 to 875. Sowell will also not have opposition in the general election.
Lee County will advance to a runoff election, following a close race between Republicans Casey Goetz, a retired DPS Major, and Garrett Durrenberger, Fayette County Sheriff’s Detective. Goetz and Durrenberger received 1,182 and 1,151 votes respectively, compared to fellow challenger James Crockett, Lee County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy, who received 592 votes. Whoever wins the runoff election—Goetz or Durrenberger—will not have opposition in November. Current Sheriff Rodney Meyer is not seeking re-election after taking office in January 2009.
Waller County will also have a Republican runoff election after incumbent R. Glenn Smith and challengers Troy Guidry and Dan Porter failed to reach 50 percent of the vote. Guidry, a trainer and certified instructor for the K9 and Mounted Patrol Divisions of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, received 2,235 votes to the 2,117 for Smith and 657 for Porter, who is a reserve at the Waller County Precinct Four Constable’s Office. The winner of the runoff election will face Cedric D. Watson in November. Watson previously ran against Smith in 2016, where Smith won with 65 percent of the vote.
Click here to see full results from Tuesday night's primary.