Sheriff, public safety groups have always answered the call By TAYLOR BECK
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In 1945, Sheriff W.G. Benton examines a heavy bloodstained stick believed to be a murder weapon in an Almon community home. Benton was Newton County’s sheriff from 1937-1949. Archives | The Covington News
tbeck@covnews.com
ince Newton County was formed, there has always been a sheriff to serve and protect the community as its chief law enforcement officer. The first sheriff, Lemuel Wynne, was appointed to the office Jan. 25, 1822, and he took the oath of office on March 15, 1822. Including Wynne, there have been 29 different sheriffs for Newton County. • Lemuel Wynne – 1822-1824; 1826-1830 • David Morrow – 1824-1826 • Joseph Waters — 1830-1832 • Alfred Livingston — 18321834; 1836-1838 • John Smith — 1834-1836 • Soprey Anderson — 18261830; 1838-1840 • Thomas Nelms — 1840-1842; 1858-1860 • Lewis Zachary — 1842-1844; 1846-1848; 1850-1852; 1856-1858 • Francis W. McCurdy — 18401842; 1858-1860 • Newton Anderson — 18481850; 1852-1854; 1860-1862; 1864-1866; 1873-1875; 1877-1886 • David White — 1854-1856 • T.C. Posey — 1862-1864 • A.H. Zachry — 1866-1868 • George Power — 1868-1871 • Pleasant Banks — 1871-1873 • Stephen Hight — 1875-1877 • Henry Anderson — 18861893; 1894-1902 • L.O. Wright — 1893-1899 • S.M. Hay — 1902-1920 • B.L. Johnson — 1920-1937 • W.G. Benton — 1937-1949 • C.L. Butler — 1949 • Thomas M. Bates — 19491952 • John L. Berry — 1952-1964 • Henry Odum Jr. — 1964-1976 • Liffton Luke — 1976
26 BICENTENNIAL EDITION
• Gerald D. Malcom — 19761996 • Joe Nichols — 1996-2008 • Ezell Brown — 2008-present Ezell Brown, who was in his fourth term at the time of this publication, made history when elected Nov. 4, 2008, as the first Black man to be sheriff of Newton County. In 2020, Brown described the role of sheriff as more than “playing cops and robbers.” “I look at it as being a steward of the community,” he told The Covington News, saying many days he was required to be a counselor or minister, while on other days he would be asked to help someone cover rent or fill a gas tank. Newton County Sheriff’s Office The first jail in Newton County was actually at the Brick Store in the eastern part of the county. It served as a jail in the event someone was found guilty and sentenced. Without bars on the doors or windows, a court officer was appointed to sit by the stove fire and guard the prisioner at night. The first jail in Covington
burned while still under construction, but soon after, another jail was built just off the Square behind the Historic Courthouse. It was known as a calaboose and was similar to the one room calaboose that still stands in Porterdale. The jail was used for many years until deemed unfit to house inmates at the turn of the century. In 1901, the construction of a new jail began at the corner of Stallings and Hunter streets. After its completion, the building was considered state of the art. It could hold up to 40 inmates. It cost $10,000 to build. Samuel Hay was the first sheriff to occupy the new facility. Then, the sheriff lived on site, and in the summer would maintain a vegetable garden to provide meals for inmates. Today, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, built in 2004, is located at 15151 Alcovy Rd. in Covington. In 2020, officials broke ground on a $2.9 million expansion that encompassed 145,000 square feet, including detention, and added 7,000 square feet of administrative space and 3,000 square feet of training space. THE COVINGTON NEWS
