Oliver secures his fifth term as sheriff

RUSSELLVILLE — Incumbent Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver will remain in office for at least four more years after he overwhelmingly won re-election.

Oliver earned his fifth term in office as the county’s top law enforcement official after defeating challenger Brian “Spanky” Shackleford in the May 19 Republican primary.

Oliver earned 75% of the vote compared to Shackleford’s 25%.

As there is no Democratic candidate on the ticket, the winner of the primary automatically wins the seat.

Oliver was first elected to office in 2011, defeating four other candidates to replace outgoing sheriff Larry Plott.

In 2014, Oliver was elected to his second term after defeating challenger John Cantrell with approximately 80%.

Oliver did not face opposition in 2018 but did in 2022 and managed to defeat Joe Fike with 83% of the vote.

After his victory last See additional election stories on Page B3.

week, Oliver expressed his gratitude to the voters for entrusting him with another four years of service.

“It feels really good that people have put their trust in me and I look forward to continuing to serve,” Oliver said.

Looking back over the first 15 years as sheriff, Oliver said he’s pleased with where his office is in terms of the current staff members he works with.

“I’ve got a good team of dedicated men who I’m very proud of,” Oliver said. “There is always room for improvement, but the main thing is we try and serve the people of Franklin County to the best of our ability.”

As for those improvements, Oliver said he hopes to add more manpower to his current stable of deputies while also finding new ways to incorporate technology into the everyday job.

As for his opponent, Oliver had warm regards for Shackleford, who he has known for a “number of years” through their law enforcement careers.

“I’ve known Brian for a while and it was a good race,” Oliver said. “I appreciate the campaign being clean. It was a lot of work, but I’m glad it’s behind us.”

In a statement via text message, Shackleford congratulated Oliver on the campaign and his victory.

“I just got off phone with Sheriff Oliver, and I congratulated him on winning and if I can ever help him, he should feel free to call,” Shackleford’s statement reads. “It was a great race. I met a lot of new people and I thoroughly enjoyed my campaign.”