HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Houston County Sheriff's Office has a new, but temporary sheriff.
W.H. "Billy" Rape Jr. was sworn in as the new sheriff in Houston County on Thursday to replace former Sheriff Cullen Talton, who died on Saturday, Oct. 19.
Rape served directly under Talton for some time as the sheriff's office chief deputy, and has been with the sheriff's office for 51 years. He also joined at the same time as Talton.
He is the first sheriff to be appointed in Houston County in the past 52 years. While he was officially sworn in on Thursday, he initially took over when Talton died.
Under Georgia Code § 15-16-8, when the sheriff dies, the sheriff's office chief deputy becomes the local sheriff, unless there is a local law saying otherwise. As such, Rape has been serving sheriff duties since Oct. 19.
While the task of replacing Talton, who was the longest-serving sheriff in the United States, may seem daunting, Rape won't hold the role for long.
His official swearing in comes just five days before election day, where Talton's long term replacement will be elected. The former sheriff announced his retirement about a year before his death. Either Republican candidate Matt Moulton or Democratic candidate Arthur Lee Harris will be elected as the full-time sheriff.
Since Rape will only be in office for a few months, the election superintendent had no need to call a special election. They would've had the ability to do so if Talton's remaining term was longer than six months.
For now, Rape will have the responsibility of finishing out the last few months of Talton's term and getting the office ready for its next and long term sheriff.