CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Candidates for Montgomery County sheriff weighed in Tuesday on several key issues in the upcoming race, including keeping people from coming back to jail, retaining deputies and other MCSO employees, and, of course the booking log.
Dexter Mines, Mike Oliver and Johnny Ransdell are running for sheriff in the Aug. 5 Montgomery County election. The spoke at the Downtown Kiwanis Club meeting, with 5 Star Media Group’s Lee Erwin serving as moderator.
Meet the candidates for Montgomery County sheriff
Dexter Mines, a veteran and independent candidate, served in several law enforcement agencies over 22 years, including the Greenbrier Police Department, MCSO, the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy, and as assistant director of the Tennessee POST Commission.
When asked about a moment in his career that helped define him, Mines told of a time when he was working the midnight shift as a deputy and a call came in about a baby in distress. He was first on the scene and gave the baby CPR. Sadly, the baby died, but the incident helped Mines to see, “This is the business that I’m supposed to be in. It doesn’t matter who they are, it doesn’t matter where you find them. Our job when we come into this business is about people. It’s about service to people, even at the risk of our own lives.”
Mike Oliver, a Republican, has over 32 years of law enforcement experience, beginning with the Tennessee Department of Corrections and then with MCSO. He has worked in Corrections, Road Patrol, K-9 Unit, Drug Task Force and the Special Victims Unit.
Oliver spoke specifically of the impact that being in charge of the SVU had on him. “True victims are our children that suffer pretty horrible crimes. Being able to investigate those crimes, bring some kind of justice for those children, or the elderly or anybody that suffers some type of tragedy” were the cases that affected him the most…