Sources |
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 13 Nov 1998.
Blaine DeArnold "K.O." McMahan Obitiuary.
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 18 Jan 2004.
Felix Gilbert "Gib" Lewis obituary
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), 20 Jul 2008.
SEVIERVILLE - The race for sheriff in Sevier County is a high-pitched affair among five candidates with varying levels of experience and two who would be coming out of retirement from the profession if elected.
The election is to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Bruce Montgomery, who died in office Feb. 9, 2007, and the slate of candidates includes Montgomery's chief deputy and the late sheriff's brother. The winner will face re-election in 2010. The candidates in the Aug. 7 general election are:
- Murrell Dean Lewis, 61, was a detective at the Gatlinburg Police Department for 31 years and has "done everything you can think of" in the realm of law enforcement, including being a K-9 officer.
Lewis said he "can do a great deal of good for the community and the county" and "help make Sevier County a safer place for kids."
Among his goals would be to enhance the school resource officer program and continue the anti-drug DARE program. "I will seek out drug dealers," he said, "and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
And, he said, "I have a plan that, on the first day, I will have more officers on the road during peak traffic hours."
He said he also wants to organize a multi-county, anti-burglary task force to combat break-ins and home invasions.
Lewis has spent his entire law enforcement career in Sevier County, and he said his daughter, son-in-law and son all are involved in police work in the county.
"I will be available to the public," he said, "to everyone who has a problem, no matter how large or how small. I know what it takes to fight crime."
Five have range of goals and experience in Sevier sheriff's race
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