Harrell, Thompson face voters in Autauga County sheriff runoff showdown

The clearest issue hanging over the Autauga County sheriff runoff is not campaign theater, but how the next sheriff will handle staffing, jail conditions and accountability when the county is already under pressure. Mark Harrell and Ty Thompson met voters in Pine Level and laid out competing approaches ahead of the June 16 Republican runoff that will effectively choose the county’s next sheriff.

Harrell enters the runoff with the advantage from the May 19 primary. Unofficial county results showed him with 3,738 votes, or 47.14 percent, while Thompson finished with 3,116 votes, or 39 percent. Kevin McNatt received 860 votes and Nicholas Cognasi got 215 in the four-candidate race. Countywide turnout was 11,443 ballots cast out of 46,307 registered voters, or 24.71 percent.

The runoff matters because no Democrats qualified for the race, leaving the Republican winner to take the office in a county where the sheriff’s department has already been through a major test of leadership. Harrell was appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey on Jan. 13, 2023, and sworn in three days later after the death of Joe Sedinger, who had been preparing to begin what would have been his third term.

That transition has not been a quiet one. In June 2024, Harrell ordered the Autauga County Metro Jail evacuated over health and safety concerns. At the time, he said the jail had 166 inmates on the roster. The county commission said it knew there were facility problems and was working on them, while later reporting said a mold-testing company was not allowed access because of staffing issues. In practical terms, the next sheriff will inherit not just a law-enforcement office, but a jail operation that has already forced conflict between the sheriff’s office and county government.

The forum in Pine Level made the difference in style clear. Harrell leaned on nearly 30 years in law enforcement, including work in the sheriff’s office, the Prattville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration task force, motorcycle patrol and K-9 handling. Thompson, who also has a Prattville Police Department background, focused on standards, training and hiring the right people, including younger officers who can grow into the culture a department wants to build.

For Autauga County voters, the choice is direct: Harrell offers experience and a record already tied to jail crisis management, while Thompson is pitching a rebuild centered on staffing discipline and training. The winner on June 16 will also take office alongside a separate runoff for the 19th Judicial Circuit, Place 5, making the countywide ballot one that could reshape both law enforcement and courtroom leadership.