{"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/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Pitt County Sheriff"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Pitt County Sheriff"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Paula","fullname":"Paula Stokes Dance","lastname":"Dance","middlename":"Stokes","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Pitt County Sheriff","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"pitt","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Pitt County Sheriff","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"pitt","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"pitt","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_sheriff","contest_title":"Pitt County Sheriff","county":"pitt","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-03-03","office_county":"pitt","office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_sheriff","office_title":"Sheriff","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Sheriff Paula Dance, the first Black female sheriff in North Carolina, is running for a third term in Pitt County in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"0c0610c8c492d8c7"}