The longtime Johnson County sheriff’s deputy who most recently has been in charge of the county jail has been elected sheriff.
Duane Burgess, the Republican candidate, will begin a four-year term as Johnson County sheriff in January.
He defeated Democratic challenger Jason Boudi by earning 72 percent of the vote.
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Burgess said he greatly appreciates the voters putting their trust in him.
“I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” Burgess said on Tuesday night.
Burgess will be in charge of overseeing the sheriff’s office and the jail and courthouse security program with a total budget of $9.3 million and 150 employees. The sheriff is ultimately responsible for the training and oversight of deputies as they conduct patrols and investigations and jail officers who oversee the inmates in the jail.
Burgess has worked in every position in the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is currently in charge of the overcrowded Johnson County jail, where 300 to 400 men and women are housed daily while awaiting trial or serving sentences. The Greenwood resident has a 30-year career in law enforcement and said he was motivated to lead the department through his sense of caring about and being challenged by every task and case he has faced.
A major task will be helping plan the expansion of the Johnson County jail, which is under state order to alleviate overcrowding.
He’s also pledged to keep drugs off the street, track drugs that cause deaths back to the dealer and protect residents and their property.
Burgess said he was thrilled with the win, and it was the culmination of all he had worked for during his career.
Boudi is not a police officer or sheriff’s deputy and said wanted to be sheriff to use the position to advocate for issues that are important , such as support for reducing the influence of money on elections, reducing the amount of firearms available in the U.S. and for moving non-violent drug offenders to rehabilitation programs rather than jail.
Burgess had won a three-way race for the Republican nomination in the primary election earlier this year. Sheriff Doug Cox has served two terms and could not seek a third.
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Jason Boudi, Democrat;28%
Duane Burgess, Republican;72%
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