ELECTION RESULTS: Voters re-elect sheriffs in 4 parishes; 2 incumbents face runoffs

(KSLA) - Voters in multiple Northwest Louisiana parishes faced decision on sheriffs Saturday (Oct. 14).

[Click here for election results]

BIENVILLE SHERIFF

Incumbent John Ballance (68%) handily won re-election against challenger Henry Ford, according to complete but unofficial results of voting Saturday.

• RE-ELECTED: JOHN BALLANCE
  • Ballance is not running with a political party & resides in Jamestown. He has been sheriff of Bienville since 2000. According to his website, Ballance says he will continue to have a strong patrol presence with proactive policing efforts.
• HENRY FORD
  • Ford is a Democrat residing in Arcadia. He was a trooper with LSP for 25 years and served as deputy sheriff for Bienville for two years. According to his Facebook page, his goals include community outreach & deputy training.

CLAIBORNE SHERIFF

The race to be Claiborne Parish’s sheriff has advanced to a runoff with voters narrowing a field of three to the incumbent (48% of the votes cast) and one challenger (34%).

• IN THE RUNOFF: MICHAEL D. ALLEN
  • Allen is an Independent residing in Homer. According to his Facebook page, his focus is on juvenile crime prevention & protection.
• IN THE RUNOFF: “SAM” DOWIES
  • Dowies is not running with a political party and resides in Homer. He is the current sheriff in Claiborne. According to his Facebook page, he is dedicated to maintaining justice & safety in the community.
• “VAN” MCDANIEL
  • McDaniel resides in Homer and is not running with a political party. He is the current chief of police in Homer. According to the department Facebook page, McDaniel is committed to ensuring citizens feel protected.

[RELATED COVERAGE | Nickelson, Whitehorn in runoff for Caddo Parish sheriff]

DeSOTO SHERIFF

DeSoto Sheriff Jayson Richardson commanded 74% of the votes cast Saturday (Oct. 14) to win his re-election bid against challenger “Kenny” Gingles.

• “KENNY” GINGLES
  • Gingles is a Republican residing in Stonewall. He has over 20 years of law enforcement experience in DeSoto Parish. According to his website, Gingles wants to make law enforcement more accessible and efficient.
• RE-ELECTED: JAYSON RICHARDSON
  • Jayson Richardson is a Republican residing in Gloster. He has been DeSoto’s sheriff since 2018. According to the sheriff’s website, Richardson wants to lead by example & take a proactive approach to protecting the community.

NATCHITOCHES SHERIFF

Natchitoches Parish voters narrowed a field of three to two Saturday (Oct. 14) in their efforts to select a sheriff. Heading into a runoff in November will be incumbent Sheriff Stuart Wright (40% of the votes cast) and Steven “Steve” Pezant (31%), according to complete but unofficial election results.

• IN THE RUNOFF: STEVEN “STEVE” PEZANT
  • Pezant is a resident of Natchitoches and is not running with a political party. He is the current chief deputy for the Natchitoches Ward 1 City Marshal’s Office.
• MICHAEL “MIKE” WILSON
  • Wilson is a Democrat who resides in Natchitoches. He is a retired officer with over 30 years of experience. According to his website, some of his goals include keeping an open-door policy with the community & working with area youth.
• IN THE RUNOFF: STUART WRIGHT
  • Wright resides in Natchitoches and is not running with a political party. He is the current sheriff in Natchitoches. According to his website, Wright has put SRO’s in all parish schools & increased deputy patrols by 40%.

RED RIVER SHERIFF

Red River Parish voters re-elected their sheriff Saturday (Oct. 14), giving incumbent Glen Edwards 67% of the votes cast, according to complete but unofficial election results.

• MICHAEL ANTILLEY
  • Antilley is a Republican and resides in Natchitoches. He is a retired officer and served as an LSP trooper for 14 years. According to his website, he wants to increase trust between law enforcement in the community & ensure the department is held accountable.
• THOMAS “TOMMY” ASHWORTH
  • Ashworth is an Independent. He resides in Hall Summit.
• RE-ELECTED: GLEN EDWARDS
  • Edwards is a Democrat who resides in Coushatta. He is the current sheriff for Red River Parish. According to his Facebook page, his goal is to provide effective and professional law enforcement.

[RELATED CONTENT | Bossier voters re-elect Whittington as sheriff]

SABINE SHERIFF

Re-elected with 65% of the votes cast, Aaron Mitchell will serve another term as Red River Parish’s sheriff, according to complete but unofficial results of elections held Saturday (Oct. 14).

• “JEFF” EVANS
  • Evans is a Republican who resides in Many. He has 26 years of experience with LSP. According to his website, he wants to re-establish youth programs & lead with integrity.
• COBY LANG
  • Lang is a Republican who resides in Many. He is a business owner and has a history in law enforcement & corrections. According to his Facebook page, he plans to address the amount of repeat offenders & invest taxpayer money in a way that benefits future generations.
• RE-ELECTED: AARON MITCHELL
  • Mitchell is a Republican who resides in Florien. He is the current sheriff for Sabine Parish. According to his Facebook page, some of his accomplishments include forming a special ops group & increasing training/certification with the Dept. Of Criminal Investigations.

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