ABINGDON, Va. — Residents of Washington County, Virginia, gathered at the Higher Ed Center on Tuesday night to hear to Rex Cater announce his candidacy for the Washington County, Virginia sheriff position
Carter, who has had a 23-year career in law enforcement and is currently working as the security operations specialist and human resources generalist at Universal Fibers in Bristol, Virginia, called out the current Washington County Sheriff’s leadership and highlighted saying a change is needed.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at a time in the history of Washington County where the choice is abundantly clear. A change must be made in the leadership of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office,” Carter said of current Sheriff Blake Andis. “We have endured far too long the ineffective, inefficient and dishonest leadership of the current administration.”
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Carter expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the victims of the shooting in Riverside, California. A newly-hired and now deceased Washington County Deputy is accused of committing the crimes. Carter criticized what he called a lack of due diligence by the current Washington County Sheriff when hiring new employees.
“Our hearts go out to remaining members of that family, their neighbors, and friends who suffered a horrible and tragic loss when a current Washington County Sheriff’s deputy traveled across the country and inflicted the most horrible evil on this family just six days ago,” Carter said. “What is most bothersome is the lack of due diligence by the current Washington County Sheriff to conduct proper background checks on new hire employees.”
Carter challenged Andis, to make his hiring practices and protocol public. He emphasized that under his leadership, there will be a restructuring of the sheriff’s office’s hiring practices, which will be more thorough and in-depth.
“Tonight, I challenge Sheriff Andis to release his hiring practices protocol and reveal the records of his practices as it pertains to the deputy involved in this awful crime,” Carter said. “I vow that the hiring process on day one of our administration will change. Our citizens deserve a sheriff who operates in a professional and ethical way that doesn’t just cut corners and ignore rules and guidelines.”
Among the other changes Carter identified he would make if elected as sheriff is a restructuring of the agencies, as well as providing them with the support they need and the revitalization of the Neighborhood Watch.
“We will run an administration that is based on the highest qualifications, abilities, and integrity. Right now, the sheriff’s office is made up of some good men and women, but they are lacking professional leadership and support,” Carter said. “My administration will restructure and revitalize our Neighborhood Watch programs to be more inclusive of community members, to deliver the most up-to-date communication to citizens about crime trends and issues that impact our area.”
Carter also accused Andis of spending upwards of $20,000 of taxpayers’ money on outdated, unnecessary military surplus equipment.
“I’m wondering, is the current sheriff thinking he’s General Patton anticipating war with an ANTIFA? Rather than wasting the taxpayer’s money for junk. Why not focus our efforts on protecting our community?” Carter said.
Carter stressed he is not running as a politician but as a concerned citizen of Washington County, Virginia who will put the people first.
“I am presenting myself to you as a candidate for sheriff of Washington County, not as a partisan of the right or the left but as one of you, a concerned citizen of Washington County, a concerned citizen who wants solutions to the problems we face,” Carter said. “My plan of action is simple to put people first while demonstrating professionalism at every level.”
Elections for Washington County Virginia Sheriff, will take place in November of 2023.
Carter ran for Washington County sheriff in 2019. He finished third with 10.82% of the vote.