Hammonds defeats Cox in close Beaufort County sheriff primary

BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - Beaufort County’s sheriff has beaten back a strong primary challenge tonight.

In the GOP primary, incumbent Scott Hammonds won against challenger Kelly Cox with 4,342 to 4,040.

Cox, who was a former lieutenant with Beaufort County, left to serve with Craven County in October 2022.

A month later, Hammonds was elected in his first term as sheriff.

In the fall, Hammonds will face Democrat Corey Dixon of Aurora in the general election.

“I’m really excited with how they turned out,” Hammonds said after results came in. “I just want say thank you to my supporters Beaufort County, I think the outcome is exactly what Beaufort County deserves.”

Kelly Cox shared his reaction to election results.

“Anytime you run, you want the results to go into your favor but that’s the good thing about democracy, when the people speak you got to accept the results,” he said. “When you’re going up against an incumbent, it comes with its own set of challenges and everything like that. But I’m incredibly proud of our campaign team, my family, my wife, my children.”

Cox will continue his role with the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.

Democrat Corey Dixon who holds 20 years of experience in law enforcement shared his campaign message for November’s general election.

“One of the biggest things, I want to build a better relationship between law enforcement and the community,” he said. “I don’t want to make any personal jabs at anyone I just want to address the issues that we have.”

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Beaufort County had a turnout of over 10,000 voters who cast their ballots for this years primary election.