Field for Alachua County sheriff widens with candidate who hopes to succeed bosses again
Another candidate has thrown their name into the mix to become the next sheriff of Alachua County.
Col. Chad Dondrill Scott, who rejoined the Alachua County Sheriff's Office in 2022, has filed to run for sheriff with the hope of succeeding his current boss, Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. who withdrew from the race last month.
Scott currently oversees patrol at the sheriff's office, among other functions.
He is a former police chief for the city of Alachua, a place he worked for 13 years. Watson and his undersheriff, Joel DeCoursey, held the position prior to Scott. All three now hold high-ranking titles for the Alachua County Sheriff's Office.
Campaign filings show that Scott filed to run for office the day after Watson withdrew from the race. Since then, Scott has been the highest-ranking official shown on the organization's social media posts, presenting awards to a fellow officer and posing for pictures with cadets in the academy.
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Previous stint at sheriff's office
In 2007, while working at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office under then-sheriff Sadie Darnell, Scott was accused of working security shifts at a local business while also on duty as a sergeant.
Following an internal investigation, Darnell let Scott let go from the agency. Attempts to reach Scott have been unsuccessful.
Court records show Scott was charged with four misdemeanors for theft and four felonies for making false statements by a public servant. The charges, however, were later dropped after prosecutors said Scott made restitution. They also said there was "insufficient evidence to sustain a conviction" and destroyed all evidence in the case, court records show.
Scott landed back on his feet soon after being hired at the city of Alachua months later, working under DeCoursey until his retirement in 2015. Scott succeeded DeCoursey as chief of police until last year when Watson hired Scott back at the sheriff's office. He was promoted to the rank of colonel within months at the agency.
Campaigning
Since entering the race, Scott has raised the most funds among active candidates. His $3,000 comes in the form of a trio of donations, including a $1,000 loan to himself, $1,000 from Undersheriff Joel DeCoursey and $1,000 from Property Appraiser Saniyiyah Ayesha Solomon.
Other candidates who have filed so far include University of Florida Police Capt. Latrell Simmons, Tyrone Johnson Jr. and Pamela Marshall Koons.
Watson initially filed for reelection in April but withdrew just two months later, signaling the end of his time as sheriff after one term. His campaign raised over $15,000, securing $1,000 donations from DeCoursey, Scott and sheriff's office attorney Jacob Rush. Other donors included County Commissioner Ken Cornell, sheriff's office spokesman Chris Sims and Maj. Jack "Lance" Yaegar.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Chad Scott files to run for sheriff of Alachua County
