Sheriff Defends Recent Criticism

Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon is defending a recent wave of controversy in a story in today's Post and Courier.

Among his recent challenges, after he admitted to slapping a handcuffed suspect he personally chased at speeds of more than 133 mph.

The unsolved shooting death of 5-year-old Allison Griffor and the missing-person case of linger on the sheriff's investigative rolls. Despite tough talk — and without charges or an arrest — have also beleaguered the sheriff.

Cannon, facing only his second re-election challenge since taking office in 1988, has also been criticized for a large backlog of unserved arrest warrants, a typical election-year charge thrown against incumbent sheriffs.

Cannon deflects the recent criticism, and says if anything he gets knocks because he's a different kind of politician — the honest sort.

“I think people appreciate that I would stand up and admit to inappropriate behavior,” Cannon said. “We live in a time when people are very critical of elected officials, and politicians tend to tell you what you want to hear. I have never been that way. I tend to — sometimes to my own detriment — say what I am thinking.”

Despite the criticism, Cannon could be in for a His opponent, former deputy Mark Whisenant, Whisenant could still run as a long-shot independent or third-party candidate.

Read the full story on PostandCourier.com.