Just hours after he was unseated in the runoff election, Sheriff Richard Roundtree asked the community for prayers during the transition to a new sheriff.
In a Facebook post, he acknowledged his defeat without naming Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley, who edged him out 53% to 47% in Tuesday’s Democratic primary runoff.
MORE: Gino ‘Rocks’ Richmond County sheriff runoff – Roundtree out
“Things don’t always work out the way we want them to but we continue to walk by faith,” the three-term sheriff said in a Facebook post. “I appreciate so much the support you all have given me the past 12 years. It has truly been my honor to serve you.
“As we transition, I ask that you continue to pray for me and the men and women who put their lives on the line for you each and every day.”
Brantley, a former sheriff’s deputy who was working as sergeant at the Richmond County Marshal’s Office, is expected to become sheriff unless Richard Dixon gains enough signatures to run as an independent. But Dixon had hinted that he may step aside if Sheriff Roundtree were defeated, since change was also his goal.
In a Facebook post of his own, Dixon congratulated Brantley but did not address his future.
“Gino For Sheriff… Congratulations on the victory tonight. It’s refreshing to see humility win out over arrogance. Your campaign was second to none,” Dixon wrote.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Roundtree said during the campaign that he would help with any transition if he lost the election.
“If the Lord says it’s my time to step aside,” he said in an interview last month, “I am not going to let ego and personal issues effect the safety of this community.”
The new sheriff takes over on Jan. 1.
