CORINTH, Miss. — There’s going to be a new sheriff in Alcorn County, and he’s hoping to regain the trust of folks who live there.
Ben Caldwell, a former marine and Corinth Police investigator, takes office in January. He ran as an independent and came out on top in Tuesday’s election.
Caldwell promised the Sheriff’s Department will be transparent and, above all, honest.
“Whats up, sheriff? ” shouted a passerby in Corinth.
Wednesday morning Caldwell rolled up his sleeves and went to work taking down his campaign signs.
“The majority of the citizens here in Alcorn County are good people. And I don’t think they’re happy with what’s going on,” he said.
Caldwell admitted his biggest challenge is winning back the trust of the people in Alcorn County.
The current sheriff, Charles Reinhart, was indicted for fraud and conspiracy in early 2015 and did not seek re-election.
Corinth resident Jeffrey Huff was fed up and said it’s time for a change at the Sheriff’s Department.
“There’s a bunch of crooks down there, if I can say that. We’ve had some problems with the previous sheriff and the one we got now. I can’t believe these politicians are doing things like that,” he said.
Caldwell said he ran for Sheriff because he was fed up, too.
He pointed to the State removing inmates from the Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility recently as the “straw that broke the camels back.”
“It’s an embarrassment to the people of this county. The people don’t deserve for that to be going on,” Caldwell said.
The sheriff-elect did not say what changes he plans on making when he takes office but made it clear what he expects of employees.
“I will have expectations, and I will hold them accountable to those expectations. Just as I think the people should hold me accountable to what they expect from me as the sheriff.”
Caldwell also promised a closer relationship with the County Board of Supervisors, which is still reeling from a corruption scandal of its own.
Ralph Coln, the interim supervisor for District 2, said he welcomes the new sheriff and anything that can remove the “cloud of mistrust” hanging over the county.
“And he takes over. A lot of these issues will go away and be resolved, hopefully. So this county can move forward in a progressive way,” said Coln.
Caldwell said he’s already been in touch with the commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections about getting inmates returned to Alcorn County as soon as possible after he takes office in January.
