“I have lots and lots of people to thank,” said Hess to the Fluvanna Review. “I want to thank the people of Fluvanna for voting for me. It’s taken a lot of people helping me. At the end of the day today Mark and I shook hands and wished each other luck. I thank everybody in the community for supporting me and trusting me with the job of sheriff.”
Belew said, “We ran a good race. I ran my strength – I didn’t get into any negativity. I’m proud of myself, I’m proud of my friends, family, and supporters, and it’s been a great experience.”
The unofficial voting tallies are as follows:
• Absentee ballots: 443 for Hess; 228 for Belew
• Columbia: 571 for Hess; 529 for Belew
• Cunningham: 885 for Hess; 777 for Belew
• Fork Union: 902 for Hess; 382 for Belew
• Palmyra: 871 for Hess; 667 for Belew
• Rivanna: 1,192 for Hess; 729 for Belew
A total of 8,176 votes were cast in the sheriff’s race.
Hess became interim sheriff on May 2 when former Sheriff Ryant Washington stepped down to become a special policy advisor for law enforcement for the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
For eight years Hess was chief deputy under Washington, and prior to that he worked as a sergeant in the Albemarle County Sheriff’s Office as director of the Crime Prevention Academy. In addition to training and supervising deputies, Hess worked in the civil process division and the courts. In all, Hess has 21 years of law enforcement experience.
Belew, a Fluvanna native, is an Albemarle County detective with over 15 years of law enforcement experience. He is assigned to the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, investigating crimes involving the sexual exploitation of minors, and is also a special deputy with the United States Marshals.
