{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Richie Williams","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRichard Lavern Williams (Richie Williams on the ballot) was a Democratic candidate for Pitt County Sheriff in the March 3, 2026 primary. He placed second to incumbent Paula S. Dance, 2,405 votes to 11,649, and lost the primary [1]. He will not appear on the Pitt County Sheriff ballot in the November 3, 2026 general election.\n\nAccording to the North Carolina voter file, Richard Lavern Williams is a registered voter in Pitt County, North Carolina, registered since 2001 (25 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [2].\n\nThe voter file shows Richard Lavern Williams's year of birth as 1972; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [2].\n\nThe voter history file shows 13 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 election [3].\n\nNo additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Richard Lavern Williams can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 2026 primary certified precinct results, Pitt County](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/ENRS/2026_03_03/results_precinct_sort/PITT_PRECINCT_SORT.txt) \u2014 Pitt County Sheriff (DEM), accessed 2026-07-21; also confirmed via the [NC State Board of Elections 2026 Candidate Listing](https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Elections/2026/Candidate%20Filing/Candidate_Listing_2026.csv)\n\n[2] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[3] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Richard","lastname":"Williams","middlename":"Lavern","suffix":null,"token":"37e5b622dcf467b4"},"token":"6ZPqpr4DybFTWK9D"},{"candidatename":"Paula S. Dance","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"Sheriff Paula S. Dance is the incumbent Pitt County Sheriff and is seeking a third term in the 2026 Democratic primary for the office. She entered the primary ballot on March 3, 2026 and won a landslide victory over challenger Richie\u202fWilliams, receiving 11,587 votes to Williams' 2,390, and currently faces no Republican opponent in the November general election [12][1].\n\nDance earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Mount Olive, as reported in her Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey [1]. She was born and raised in Martin County, North Carolina, and began her law\u2011enforcement career in 1990 as a clerk with the Martin County Sheriff\u2019s Office before moving to Pitt County in 1994 as a deputy [5][9]. Over the next two decades she rose through the ranks: Sergeant of the Domestic Violence Unit, Detective in Major Crimes, Lieutenant (2010), Captain (2011), and Major in 2013, making her third\u2011in\u2011command of the agency [5][9].\n\nIn 2018 Dance ran for sheriff and was elected, becoming the first African\u2011American female sheriff in North Carolina and the first Black sheriff in Pitt County. She was sworn in on December\u202f3,\u202f2018 and was re\u2011elected in 2022, beginning her second term on December\u202f5,\u202f2022 [5][2].\n\nAs sheriff, Dance oversees patrol operations, the county detention center, court security, and civil process functions. She emphasizes transparency, fairness, and community trust, noting that public safety works best when residents know their sheriff leads with integrity [1]. Early in her tenure she launched the Sheriff\u2019s Heroin Addiction Recovery (SHARP) and Women\u2019s Empowerment Addiction Recovery (WEAR) programs\u2014the first of their kind in North Carolina\u2014to address repeat incarceration linked to substance abuse and poverty, connecting inmates with education, counseling, and faith\u2011based support [2][3].\n\nDance\u2019s leadership has been highlighted in local media, with a WNCT video confirming her continued service after winning the 2022 election and a WITN report noting her historic status and strong primary performance in 2026 [4][12]. She remains active in community outreach, mentoring youth, and partnering with local organizations to promote prevention and long\u2011term safety for Pitt County residents [1][9].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Paula S. Dance (Pitt County Sheriff, North Carolina, candidate 2026) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Paula_S._Dance_(Pitt_County_Sheriff,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2026))\n- [2] [Paula Dance | NC DOA](https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/women-youth/status-women-nc-reports/political-participation/leaders/paula-dance)\n- [3] [Paula Dance | NC DOA](https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/council-women-youth/status-women-nc-reports/paula-dance)\n- [4] [Sheriff Paula Dance has won the Pitt County Sheriff's Election ...](https://www.facebook.com/wnct9/videos/sheriff-paula-dance-has-won-the-pitt-county-sheriffs-election-and-will-continue-/845442695179557/)\n- [5] [Meet the Sheriff | Pitt County Sheriff I North Carolina](https://www.pittcountysheriff.com/meet-the-sheriff)\n- [7] [Sheriff Paula Dance: Bringing Change to Pitt County, North Carolina - ITVS](https://itvs.org/films/sheriff-paula-dance/)\n- [9] [Meet Sheriff Paula Dance \u2013 Pitt County Women's Journal](https://pittcountywomen.com/meet-sheriff-paula-dance/)\n- [12] [Dance defeats Williams by a landslide in Pitt County sheriff primary](https://www.witn.com/2026/03/04/dance-secures-third-term-pitt-county-sheriff/)","firstname":"Paula","lastname":"Dance","middlename":"Stokes","suffix":null,"token":"0c0610c8c492d8c7"},"token":"jlrNkG2GGGdmO49A"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"sheriff","o.office":"county_sheriff","office":"county_sheriff","officedescription":"The sheriff is the county's chief law-enforcement officer. The office operates the county jail, provides court security, serves civil process and executes warrants, and provides patrol and investigation \u2014 a large operational command with a substantial budget.","officequalities":"- Organizational leadership of a sheriff's office spanning patrol, investigations, court services, and the county jail.\n- Oversight of the county jail, including intake, inmate health, and release procedures.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee criminal law, court process, and constitutional search-and-seizure standards.\n- Ability to develop and oversee the office's operating budget with public accountability.\n- Coordination with municipal police departments and neighboring-county and state agencies.\n- A documented law-enforcement or public-safety background.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Sheriff","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Pitt County Sheriff"}