Levon Allen projected winner in Clayton County sheriff runoff, expected to remain in office

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The race for Clayton County Sheriff appears to be over with incumbent Sheriff Levon Allen the projected winner in Tuesday’s runoff election.

According to the current state and county election results, Allen beat his opponent Jeffrey Turner, who previously served as Clayton County Board of Commissioners Chair.

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Preliminary results from precincts reporting tallies in showed Allen taking home 7,602 votes for Turner’s 6,161 votes, giving the current sheriff a 55% portion of the ballots.

With the preliminary results in, it appears Allen has held onto the seat of Clayton County Sheriff, but the results have not yet been officially certified.

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Allen first took office as sheriff in December 2022, when he replaced retiring interim Sheriff Roland Boehrer. Before that, Allen served as chief deputy.

Boehrer had been sworn in as interim sheriff following the indictment and conviction of former Sheriff Victor Hill, who was found guilty of violating the civil rights of inmates at the Clayton County Jail and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

Allen won his first full election as sheriff in an April 2023 runoff. At the time, he had been endorsed by Hill, who had previously considered Allen his protege.

Upon Hill’s return to Clayton County in 2024, the two men’s relationship appeared to be less congenial, with Hill publicly criticizing how Allen was running the sheriff’s office, and Allen accusing Hill of calling him to influence how he was running the office while still in federal prison.

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