There’s a new sheriff in Williamsburg-James City County.
David Hardin will take over as sheriff for Robert Deeds, who had served in the position since 2000.
“Thank you to all the voters who had the confidence to vote for me,” Hardin said Tuesday night. “I will not let you down.”
Hardin, who received 15,149 votes, ran against Gerald Mitchell, who received 7,131 votes and Sean Gormus, who received 4,776 votes, according to unofficial results Tuesday night from the Virginia Department of Elections.
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Hardin started his career in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in 1990. For the past 24 years he has been a deputy with the Williamsburg-James City County Sheriff’s Office and has served as chief deputy since 2008.
During his campaign Hardin said he would look into employing the latest technology at the office to improve effectiveness and ensure the safety of residents, employees and inmates at the courthouse.
James City County’s voter turnout was 49.36 percent as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to information from the county’s Voter Registration and Elections Department.