MACON COUNTY, Ga. — On Sunday, people in Macon County are grieving after Sheriff Leonard Johnson passed away on Saturday.
The Sheriff's Office said he died from a medical issue.
Johnson started his career in dispatch, then was promoted to sergeant before he became chief deputy. In 2018, he was elected sheriff, making him the first Black person to hold the position of sheriff.
James Conner worked with Johnson when he was the EMA director for eight years.
"It was sad you know, to hear about his passing. And I knew he had some health issues," Conner said.
Conner said Johnson always loved being there for other people.
"He was a giving person. He gave a lot of himself. Like I said, I know him and some of his coworkers were there for 40 years," he said.
Jimmy Daniels saw Johnson daily when he worked for the City of Oglethorpe.
"If he see you out here with a problem he gonna try to help you out. You know if he sees you on the side of the road broke down, he going to turn around and come back to help you," Daniels said.
Teresa Warren is a family friend who said she knew Johnson almost all her life.
"Well, he always kept a smile on his face. He always, he had a great sense of humor. I mean he always had jokes and it was just his- how, how should I put this? It was just his sense of humor and his caring that he had for the community," Warren said.
It was Johnson's caring spirit, that Emmitt Brown said made a difference in helping people turn their lives around.
"He would believe in giving people breaks. Tell 'em to go home. Don't let me catch you out here no more tonight and that's what he meant," Brown said.
All three said they're going to miss Johnson's presence, and wish they had more time with him.
Employees at the Macon County Sheriff's Office told us a new temporary sheriff hasn't been chosen yet.