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

Archived as originally published. Information reflects the date of this article.

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
  • 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.

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.

SABINE SHERIFF

Re-elected with 65% of the votes cast, Aaron Mitchell will serve another term as Sabine 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.

https://www.ksla.com/2023/09/21/meet-candidates-arklatex-sheriffs/