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Deputy Unseats Incumbent Jefferson County Sheriff

MADRAS, OR -- As more ballots are counted, Deputy Jason Pollock continues to lead the three-way race for Jefferson County Sheriff. He tells KBND News he was surprised by his wide margin with the incumbent Sheriff, "When the first numbers came out, I was - I was blown away. I did not really expect it to be almost a 10% gap between the two of us. I thought it was going to be much closer. But, wow. It was definitely something to take in." Pollock says he was confident he would win, but is grateful for two key last-minute endorsements from former Sheriff Jim Adkins and Jefferson County D.A. Steve LeRiche, "I think it would’ve been a very, very tight race without Jim and Steve’s support. But I still had the feeling in my heart that I was going to come out on top. I do think that that helped widen the gap, for sure."

Sheriff Marc Heckathorn issued a statement saying he’s disappointed but pledges to do his part to accomplish a smooth transition. He was appointed in June 2021 and says he's committed to the county. Heckathorn noted his term doesn’t conclude until January. 

Pollock acknowledges it could get awkward at work over the next six months after beating his boss in Tuesday’s election, "If he decides to stay in office until January, I hope that we can mend these fences and work together for the common good of the community, and just do what’s best."

As of Thursday morning, Pollock has 52.4% of the vote to Heckathorn's 43.4%. A third candidate, Rick DuPont has 3.7%. Pollock still must be elected to the post in the fall. After all the Primary ballots are counted, if Pollock is still above 50%, his name will appear alone on the November ballot. 

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