A veteran officer with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has announced his intention to run for sheriff of Aiken County.
RCSO Lt. Lucas Grant made the announcement Tuesday at the Smith-Hazel Recreation Center in Aiken in an event attended by supporters.
In a press release sent Wednesday, Lt. Grant described himself as a veteran law enforcement officer and community servant with a vision to be a sheriff who is “Aware, Accountable, and Available.”
“As a product of Aiken County and a victim of gun violence, there is nothing more important to me than safety. My own father was murdered here, and now I have three daughters and a wife to protect,” Lt. Grant said in the press release. “But I also believe my family extends to the Aiken County community at large. If you let me, I’ll do everything I can to keep you and your family safe, too.”
Lt. Grant is the second candidate to enter the race to replace Sheriff Mike Hunt, who is retiring. Aiken Public Safety Capt. Marty Sawyer announced his candidacy in January on the steps of the Aiken County Courthouse, where he was endorsed by Sheriff Hunt. Capt. Sawyer is running as a Republican while Lt. Grant said he will wait until January to announce whether he will run as a Republican or Democrat.
According to the release, Lt. Grant rose quickly in law enforcement with many promotions. He has one of the highest arrest, conviction and solvability rates of the Criminal Investigations Division, the release says. As part of the first gang unit, Grant worked to dismantle many known and unknown gangs in the community.
Lt. Grant also created multiple programs, including the Unspoken Gift, which builds bonds with families that lost a loved one to homicide, Popsicle with a Cop, Delightful Harvest, a Thanksgiving meal program and Children’s Christmas.
“Public safety is about more than arrests and convictions. It’s about improving the community through solutions that tackle crime at its root cause,” Grant said in the release. “If you serve with a focus on empathy and communication, a Sheriff can not only protect but also be a blessing to his community.”
In response to Lt. Grant’s announcement, Capt. Sawyer said he is focused on keeping citizens safe.
“That’s why so many prosecutors, retired law enforcement officers and community stood behind me when I recently announced our campaign,” Capt. Sawyer said in a text. “However, I welcome anyone to the race.”
(Note: In the interest of transparency, we were unable to cover Tuesday’s announcement since the Grant campaign did not include The Augusta Press nor The Jail Report in their email alert. On Wednesday, Lt. Grant apologized for the oversight. The Augusta Press and The Jail Report provided full coverage of Capt. Sawyer’s announcement in January after being informed of the event. Lt. Grant said he was unavailable for an interview on Wednesday.)
