Serving Our Community Since 1850
Our Legacy
For more than a century, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department has stood as a pillar of law enforcement, dedicated to protecting citizens, upholding justice, and adapting to the evolving needs of our community.
John T. Clay
1850 – 1853
Wilson Abbott
1853 – 1855
C. C. Roles
1855 – 1859
H. M. Riffe
1859 – 1863
Lewis Hull
1865 – 1867
A. J. Harper
1867 – 1871
J. B. Underwood
1871 – 1877
W. C. Riffe
1877 – 1881
Wilson Sweeney
1881 – 1885
J. Wesley Harper
1885 – 1889
W. T. Shumate
1889 – 1893
H. A. Snuffer
1893 – 1897
A. B. Ballard
1897 – 1901
Harvey Cook
1901 – 1905
W. R. Campbell
1905 – 1907
John F. Davis
1907 – 1909
C. V. Cottle (left)
1909 – 1913
G. W. Thompson
1913 – 1917
W. L. Foster
1917 – 1921
P. L. Blankenship
1921 – 1924
Isaiah Kidd
1925 – 1929
M. J. Meadows
1929 – 1933
C. C. Lewis (First Term)
1933 – 1937
H. G. Farmer
1937 – 1941
Ash Mankin
1941 – 1945
C.C. Lewis (Second Term)
1945 – 1949
Okey A. Mills
1949 – 1953
John C. Ward
1953 – 1957
Okey A. Mills
1957 – 1961
Slim Thompson
1961 – 1965
Okey A. Mills
1965 – 1969
Zina French
1969 – 1973
Okey A. Mills
1973 – 1977
Okey A. Mills
1977 – 1981
Claude England
1981 – 1985
R. Michael Mangum
1985 – 1989
R. Michael Mangum
1989 – 1993
Frank R. Lavender
1993 – 1997
Frank R. Lavender
1997 – 2001
D. W. 'Danny' Moore
2001 – 2005
D. W. 'Danny' Moore
2005 – 2009
Robert Steven Tanner
2009 – 2013
Robert Steven Tanner
2014 -2017
Scott Van Meter
2018 – 2021
Scott Van Meter
2022 – 2023
James C. Canaday
2023 – 2024
W. Frank Priddy
2025 –