Perry County will have a new sheriff after Tuesday general election

PERRY COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - Perry County will have a new sheriff after Tuesday’s general election.

Two candidates are on the ballot: Republican Jacob Garner and Independent Jeremy McSwain.

Both candidates are Perry County natives, with a combined 30-plus years of law enforcement experience.

Garner has been with the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years.

After defeating incumbent Mitch Nobles in the August primary election, Garner said his goals haven’t changed much.

He said he plans to, if elected, increase patrol throughout the county and crack down on drug use.

“We’re gonna get the deputies out in the communities, talking to people, working,” said Garner. “Traffic, drugs, just watching out during the school times, (making sure) the buses are running their routes and the children are going to school.”

McSwain is currently Beaumont Police Department police chief and previously ran for sheriff in the 2019 race.

He said as a native, he plans to use his knowledge of the area to increase public safety.

This includes tackling drug use and solving some of the county’s cold cases.

“Anything we can do to help out, to make things better in Perry County,” McSwain said. “We want to work with all of our other agencies, our first responders, our schools, our churches, and all the businesses here in Perry County.

“We want things to go as good as possible.”

Polls will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.

To find the closest poll to you, click here.

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