By Leslie N. Dees
The Star Herald
KOSCIUSKO —
Attala County Sheriff Tim Nail and Lexington Police Chief Martin Roby claimed the most votes in the special election for sheriff on Tuesday evening at the Attala County Courthouse.
Nail received 3,679 or 47.05 percent of the votes, while Roby grabbed 3,003 or 38.40 percent of the votes.
If the trend continues, there will be a runoff in the three weeks.
Right now, Attala County has to wait and see.
There are 973 absentee votes and approximately 200 affidavit votes left to be counted in Attala County.
Circuit Clerk Wanda Fancher said the remaining votes will be counted after 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Billy Joe “Joey” Halderman claimed 846 votes and Rickey Thornton took in 291 votes. There was one write-in vote cast.
Both Nail and Roby had ties to the sheriff’s department.
Prior to being appointed sheriff after the death of William Lee, Nail was the chief deputy and arson investigator. Roby had previously served as a deputy sheriff and chief investigator with the department.
In other local elections, all five election commissioners went back into office. They are June Tolleson, District 1, Annie R. Winters, District 2, Frankie B. Farmer, District 3, Virginia Clark, District 4, and Mildred Casey, District 5. All were unopposed.
Rusty Dees, who had no challengers, reclaimed his Attala County School Board District 3 post. Vernita B. Rayford was elected to her first terms as ACSB member for District 4. Longtime District 4 ACSB member Mack Willie Clark did not seek re-election.
All the results are unofficial as of presstime on Tuesday evening.
