CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — It appears that Interim Clayton County Sheriff Levon Allen has won his first official term as sheriff in a tight runoff election.
The results of the Clayton County Sheriff’s runoff were extremely close. But for Clarence Cox, it was not the outcome he’d hoped for.
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Allen defeated Clarence Cox by less than 275 votes with a narrow 50.88% to 49.12% result, according to the Clayton County Elections Office.
“We just got to work together and make sure that change comes,” said Cox.
Channel 2′s Candace McCowan was live on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. at the Clayton County Elections Center as the votes were tabulated and sent to the Secretary of State’s office.
Cox was within just hundreds of votes from interim Sheriff Levon Allen.
| Candidate | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Levon Allen (I) | 50.88% | 7,716 |
| Clarence Cox | 49.12% | 7,450 |
Allen will now replace former sheriff Victor Hill who is set to report to prison next month to begin an 18-month sentence for violating the human rights of some detainees.
Allen is Hill’s godson, and voters are hoping despite their close connection, there will be change.
“I want to see change. I was very sad to hear about all the conditions at the jail and that needs to improve. It needs to continue to improve if somebody has a family member that ends up there, they don’t have to worry about them getting hurt beat up, or assaulted,” said voter Kevin Fitzgerald.
After the results came in, Cox sent a message to Allen.
“I would tell him to be more transparent. Let the people see what’s going on and not continually hide from whatever is going on...let folks see and maybe he can get some help,” said Cox.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to Allen several times election day and night but got no response.
The election results are not official until they are certified by the Secretary of State’s office in the coming days.
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