Walter wins Scott County sheriff primary, will serve another term

In Scott County, incumbent Sheriff Rick Walter swept away his competition in Tuesday's primary.

Walter defeated his Democratic challenger in unofficial results with 2,047 votes while Paul Johnson, the Morley, Mo., police chief, received 526 votes.

The Scott County clerk's office reported that 7,153 ballots were cast. That's 26.6 percent of all voters in the county. With no Republican candidates facing him in November, Tuesday's results mean Walter will serve another term.

"It's very humbling to win an election anyway," Walter said. "I'm at a loss for words."

Walter said the election results indicate voters think he has the county moving in the right direction.

"People said they like what we're doing and to continue," Walter said. "Every four years, if they don't like what you're doing, they get a chance to kick you out."

Johnson was unavailable for comment Tuesday.

Another Democrat, Ron Merideth, had challenged Walter, but withdrew his name as a candidate after the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said he could either quit his job or leave the race. Officials cited the Hatch Act, which prevents active support of political parties by federal employees. Meredith is a narcotics officer on the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, an agency that is in part federally funded.

Walter, a former deputy in the department, ran against Sheriff Bill Ferrell in 2000 but fell short. When Ferrell retired in 2004, Walter ran again, defeating Jerry Bledsoe, a fellow Democrat whom Ferrell endorsed, in the primary by 381 votes. He later defeated Republican Wes Drury by 1,518 in the general election.

Walter wasn't challenged as closely in the 2008 primary, when he ran against Bobby Sullivan and won by 1,142 votes. He defeated Drury in the general election by 4,364 votes.

The Scott County sheriff is slated to earn $59,121 in 2012 and is responsible for a $2.67 million budget. Actual expenditures in 2011 reached $2.62 million.

"My name is on the ballot, but there are a lot of people who support me," Walter said. "They work hard because they believe in the job that we're doing. There's a lot of people involved, and I can't thank them enough."

Bollinger County

In Bollinger County, where ballot counting was done by hand after counting equipment malfunctioned, incumbent Sheriff Leo McElrath was defeated in the Republican primary by Darrin Shell, a Humane Society investigator. Shell garnered 1,105 votes to McElrath's 803. Another challenger, deputy Denny Cato, received 442 votes.

Shell will now face independent candidate Stash Petton in November.

jgamm@semissourian.com

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