COUNTY — After more than four decades as Pickens County Sheriff, David Stone’s time in office is officially coming to an end after his quest for a 12th term ended in a primary run-off against Rick Clark Tuesday.
Clark, a former sheriff’s deputy and Clemson University police officer and current Liberty city councilman, defeated Stone by a wide margin, garnering nearly 60 percent of the vote, with 6,230 ballots to Stone’s 4,590, with 54 of 57 precincts reporting and provisional, failsafe provisional and emergency ballots not yet reported.
After little more than half the results had been tallied and Clark had built a lead of more than 1,000 votes, Stone conceded the race.
Clark must now face independent candidate Keith Culbreath in November’s general election to decide who will take the reins in January from Stone, who is the second-longest tenured sheriff in the country, according to the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Clark, a lifelong resident of Pickens County and a 1985 graduate of Liberty High School, is the son of Ray and Anne Clark of Liberty and is married to the former Tani Ellenburg.
Stone, a former president of the S.C. Sheriff’s Association, was named last week as the association’s 2012 Sheriff of the Year.
Results are unofficial until being certified later this week.