COLUMBUS COUNTY, N.C. -- Three months after election night and no one is currently serving as the Columbus County Sheriff.
- Sheriff-Elect Jody Greene was sworn into the position in December, after winning by less than 40 votes, but the election was not certified.
- State Board of Elections officials said Greene should have never been sworn in, pending some protests to the election that have still not been heard at the state level.
- State Board officials won't review the Columbus County case until they finish a hearing on how ballots were handled in the 9th congressional district race.
Sheriff-Elect Jody Greene was sworn into the position in December, after winning by less than 40 votes, but the election was not certified.
State Board of Elections officials said Greene should have never been sworn in, pending some protests to the election that have still not been heard at the state level.
Incumbent Lewis Hatcher sued Greene in January to get Greene out of the position, until the election was certified. As of Friday, Greene and Hatcher have come to a confidential agreement deciding to settle the matter out of court.
Hatcher dropped the lawsuit against Greene.
The joint agreement includes: "Lewis Hatcher and Jody Greene jointly arrived at this agreement in order to set an example for the citizens of Columbus County that there is more that unites our county than divides it."
The two decided Captain Jason Soles, with the Detective Division of the Columbus County Sheriff's Office, would assume day to day responsibilities of the office while the fate of the sheriff's position is still pending.
State Board officials won't review the Columbus County case until they finish a hearing on how ballots were handled in the 9th congressional district race.