Smoot leads donations battle in Granville sheriff's race

Nov. 4—OXFORD — Unaffiliated candidate Chris Smoot has raised the most money of the three candidates who are running for Granville County sheriff, having taken in almost $42,279 since launching his campaign.

Finance reports to the State Board of Elections show that Republican nominee Vance Johnson has raised almost $28,244, and Democratic nominee Robert Fountain Jr. has raised $13,935.

The three are vying to replace suspended Sheriff Brindell Wilkins, who faces criminal charges in connection with falsified training records, an alleged murder plot and other issues in the Granville County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff John Hardy has been filling the role since last December, and was appointed to it by the County Commissioners with an understanding he wouldn't seek election to a term in his own right.

Hardy replaced Charles Noblin, another appointed fill-in, who had been gearing up last year to run but stepped aside after his own training records got caught up in the falsification allegations against Wilkins and several other deputies.

Smoot has served as chief deputy for both Noblin and Hardy, but Noblin has given his endorsement and $2,150 in donations to Johnson, who's the assistant chief of the Henderson Police Department.

Those who've donated $1,000 or more to Smoot's campaign include Theresa Gladden, an environment, health and safety manager at the CertainTeed factory in Oxford who's contributed $2,512; Sandra Bailey, a teller at Union Bank, who's contributed $1,540; Talmadge Baker, a welder, who's given $1,500; Michael Harris, an Oxford resident who's provided $2,662, mostly through in-kind services; Cheryl Keith, an ice-cream shop server who's provided $1,143, again primarily through in-kind services; Douglas Muhle, a construction contractor, who donated $1,500; Betty Smoot, a daycare operator, who donated $1,216; Faith Watkins, an antique-shop sales associate, who donated $1,100; and Michelle Williford, a hospital radiology quality manager, who gave $1,080.

Five people who identified themselves as Granville County Sheriff's Office deputies have donated to Smoot's campaign: Robert Critcher Jr. ($450), Jessica Laws ($415), Andre Oakley ($86), Lowell Wilkins ($394) and Woodrow Yancey ($84).

Also donating $194 was Lara Goss, an administrative assistant in the sheriff's office who testified earlier this year in the criminal trial of Chad Coffey, a former deputy found guilty of obstruction of justice for falsifying training records on orders from Brindell Wilkins.

Donors of more than $1,000 to Johnson's campaign, along with Noblin, include Lisa Mangum, a Stem resident who gave $5,000; Lynn Cooper, from Bullock, who gave $1,300; Herbert Gregory, an Oxford retiree who donated $2,000; Melissa Robbins, a Stem resident, who contributed $1,000; Jennifer Rudolph, from Wake Forest, who donated $2,510; and Robert Williams, retired military from Oxford, who gave $1,500.

From the sheriff's office, the only prominent deputy on Johnson's donors list was Robert Smith, who gave $60 after running unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination last spring.

A state Department of Public Safety official, Fountain is his own largest donor, having racked up $2,918 worth of in-kind contributions of things the campaign's needed like T-shirts, advertisements and billboards. The only other donors to approach the $1,000 mark were state Rep. Terry Garrison's campaign committee, which gave $980, and Leroy Anderson Jr., pastor of Jonathan Creek Baptist Church in Oxford, who gave $800.

Contact Ray Gronberg at rgronberg@hendersondispatch.com or by phone at 252-436-2850.