CRENSHAW COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) – Voters in Crenshaw County can prepare for a crowded Republican Primary ballot as three men challenge incumbent Sheriff Terry Mears for the Republican nomination in the Crenshaw County Sheriff’s primary election this Tuesday.
This year, Mears faces challenges within his party from three men who each have more than a decade of experience working in law enforcement: Carlton Carmichael, Andy Compton, and Joshua Wasden.
Carmichael, a Highland Home native and Rutledge resident, has 14 years of law enforcement experience. Most of his career has been spent in Crenshaw County, working in positions like Chief Deputy to former Crenshaw County Sheriff Mickey Powell, the Jail Administrator with the Crenshaw County Detention Facility, and a sergeant at both the Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Office and the Luverne Police Department.
“My reason for seeking election to the office of Sheriff is to help make Crenshaw County a better, safer place for all of us to live and raise our families, Carmichael said in a statement. “I believe that with my leadership, I can make the Crenshaw County Sheriff’s Office a Sheriff’s Office that truly values the services that we provide to the community. Our mission and vision statement will reflect the values that we wish to preserve and with the communities support, we can make Crenshaw County a better community that grows in a positive direction.”
Wasden, also a Crenshaw County native, has worked in various law enforcement bodies across Central and South Alabama over the last 12 years. Among other positions, Wasden has worked as a K-9 Officer with the Troy Police Department and as a Narcotics & Violent Crime investigator at the Dale County Sheriff’s Office. He has served on the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s drug task force in Butler and Covington Counties.
“Law enforcement has always been my calling, my career, kind of where my heart has been,” Wasden said. “For Crenshaw County specifically, I feel like I owe my service, I owe who I am to Crenshaw County. This is the county that made me who I am. This is the county that I grew up in. So many influential people throughout this county have helped mold me into who I am today, and I just want to give back to those who’ve given so much to me.”
WSFA reached out to all four candidates for comment about their election bids. Neither Mears nor Compton responded.
Compton previously ran for Crenshaw County Sheriff in 2014. Mears was first elected to the Sheriff’s Office in 2018.
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