Brian Albert to become Washington County's next sheriff

Republican Brian Albert easily pulled away from Democrat Junior McLeod on Tuesday night in the race to become the next Washington County sheriff, according to incomplete, unofficial results.

With all 55 of the county's precincts reporting in the general election, Albert picked up 28,215 votes, or 68.9% of the vote, according to returns.

McLeod finished with 12,270 votes, or 29.96% of the vote.

Previously:Brian Albert, Junior McLeod face-off for Washington County sheriff

More counting remains to be completed. As of about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, 9,200 mail-in ballots had been received and that number was expected to increase. Election officials said 4,000 of those ballots were to be counted Tuesday night.

Election officials hope to certify the election on Nov. 18.

Albert, a Maryland Natural Resources Police retiree and current director of Washington County 911, defeated Republicans Jim Holsinger and Greg Alton in the July 19 primary election. Holsinger is a lieutenant in the sheriff's department and Alton is a retired detective from the force.

No one ran against McLeod in the Democratic primary.

McLeod, 58, of Hagerstown, said previously that there is a lack of trust of police in the community. He called for more community outreach from the sheriff's department to reverse the trend.

But McLeod also said he would give deputies the support they need in a field that is becoming less attractive as it deals with challenges like increased violence toward officers.

Albert, 55, of Clear Spring also supports a community-based approach to policing, saying it will build positive relationships in the community and attract people to the law enforcement field. Albert acknowledged fewer people are applying for law enforcement jobs but he feels there are people in the county who are interested in the profession.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Former Maryland Natural Resources Police officer wins sheriff race