CULPEPER, Va. — Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins lost his re-election Tuesday amid bribery and fraud indictments.
Jenkins lost to longtime Culpeper Police Department Deputy Chief Tim Chilton, who won 55% of the votes on election night. Jenkins took third place following Joseph Watson, who took 24% of the votes.
He has not responded to WUSA9’s request for a statement.
Jenkins served in the role of sheriff for 12 years, but is ending it in legal drama after accusations he accepted bribes in exchange of making three people auxiliary deputies and giving them the credentials to carry concealed firearms. Jenkins pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in May.
The allegations rocked Culpeper where ethical questions have been raised on how Jenkins operated his office.
Chilton said he avoided discussing the accusations against his opponent during his campaign. Although he has yet to speak to Jenkins since election night and learn the details of the transition process, Chilton said his goals are to re-gain the trust of the community and change the culture of the sheriff’s office.
“It’s going to be rebuilding it to my vision,” Chilton told WUSA9. “The deputies will have a little bit of a learning curve with me. I have a different style in the way I lead and I’m hoping everybody jumps on board. The catchphrase I try to use is leadership is an action, not a position.”
As Chilton vows transparency, he wants to apply for grants to deploy body cameras.
“That’s the first one I’m going to chase is getting that on,” he added. “That’s a trust piece for everybody.”
Amid the indictments, Chilton said he wants to prioritize auditing the budget to make sure it’s still intact.
On the sheriff’s office website, Jenkins made headlines by “promising to deputize thousands of law-abiding citizens in the face of proposed unconstitutional gun control legislation.” When asked about the future of the auxiliary deputy program, Chilton said he wants to make considerations.
“There’s going to be a heavy revamping of that program if I even keep it,” Chilton said. “I want to know that if I put somebody out that’s in an auxiliary capacity, that person has the exact same training.”
His first day is in January.