A self-proclaimed Batman-loving lawman who says he is tough on crime stands a good Election Day chance of regaining the Atlanta-area sheriff's seat he lost four years ago. The catch? He's charged with more than two-dozen felonies that could ultimately lead to him being suspended or tossed from office.
Victor Hill was indicted in January and faces 32 felony counts stemming from his first term as Clayton County sheriff from 2005 to 2008. The indictment accuses him of taking money from his failed re-election campaign in 2008, as well as using county resources for vacations. Defense attorneys have said during court hearings that the accusations are attacks by political rivals.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills, who also is president of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association, said he could not recall an instance of someone under indictment being elected sheriff in the state.
In 2008, Hill was unseated by fellow Democrat and current Sheriff Kem Kimbrough in the county of about a quarter-million people just south of Atlanta. However, Hill thwarted Kimbrough's bid for re-election in an August runoff, defeating him by more than 1,000 votes. He will be the only candidate on the ballot Tuesday, and his chief rival is a write-in candidate: current Clayton County Chief Deputy Garland Watkins.
In Clayton County, the sheriff's department has typically carried out court functions, such as serving warrants and running the jail. A county police force handles other law enforcement duties.
But Hill took a tough-on-crime stance and boasts on his campaign website of efforts to crack down on drugs and prostitution. He used a tank owned by the agency during drug raids (he says it was already owned by the agency and he was merely putting it to use).
On his campaign website, he mentions his affinity for the superhero Batman in refuting a rumor that he had a life-size figure in his office: "Victor Hill had severa! l Batman figures in his office that were given to him as gifts from ci tizens and employees who knew he was a Batman fan. None of them were life size."
Hill became mired in controversy the day he took office in 2005, when he fired 27 deputies, including Watkins. He says there were valid reasons for each firing, though a judge later ordered that they be reinstated.
A phone listing for Hill was disconnected, and he did not respond to an email message sent to his campaign. Calls to a handful of Hill's campaign donors were not returned or the number was disconnected. One declined comment.
Watkins, who has 26 years with the sheriff's department and became chief deputy under current Sheriff Kimbrough, said he decided to launch his longshot bid when Hill won the primary. He said he thinks low voter turnout played a role in the outcome.
