Incumbent Scott Berry might be up for a challenge on election day. Kevin Hynes, better known as “Chappy”, announced his run for Oconee County Sheriff today. The two worked together for years while Hynes served as a reserve deputy. Hynes resigned just last week because he said it would be a conflict of interest and unprofessional to continue working for the Sheriff’s office. When intially considering running for Sheriff, Hynes says he didn’t know Scott Berry was running for another term. When he found out, he said he still had the same drive to bring something new to Oconee County.

Hynes says, “I love Sheriff Berry. I really do. I just feel like I wanna bring fresh leadership, a new vision, and a motivated mission for the men and women of the Oconee County Sheriff’s office. It’s not personal with him.”

Hynes continued, “I’m not running for Sheriff for the power, but because I lead with a servants heart.”

Sheriff Scott Berry has held the position for 24 years but says everyone has the right to run for Sheriff, and the people of Oconee will decide.

Until the election, Sheriff Berry says he doesn’t plan on doing anything differently. He says they will continue training and he says, “I’ve got a Sheriff’s office to run.”

The primary will be held on May 24th. Sheriff Scott Berry is running for a 7th term, but Kevin Hynes is confident he will be the next man with the badge.