10-28-2026 6:24pm

SPOTSYLVANIA SHERIFF ROGER HARRIS PLANS JANUARY RETIREMENT

John Williams Editor

Caption: Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office. Courtesy of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office.

SPOTSYLVANIA SHERIFF ROGER HARRIS PLANS JANUARY RETIREMENT

Early Departure Will Bring Leadership Transition to Sheriff’s Office Ahead of 2027 Election

By John L Williams, Editor

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. — Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris plans to retire Jan. 4, 2027, nearly a year before the expiration of his current term, according to reporting by Taft Coghill Jr. of the Fredericksburg Free Press.

Coghill reported Tuesday that Harris informed Sheriff’s Office personnel of his decision in an Oct. 16 email.

“I wanted you to hear this decision directly from me,” Harris wrote to his staff, according to Coghill’s reporting.

Harris previously announced in December 2025 that he planned to retire when his current term expires Dec. 31, 2027. His newly announced January departure would move that retirement forward by nearly a year.

According to Coghill, Harris also wrote that it is his “desire” for Lt. Col. Delbert Myrick to take over leadership of the Sheriff’s Office.

Spotsylvania County government records independently identify Harris as the county’s sheriff and Myrick as Lieutenant Colonel and Administrator of the Sheriff’s Office.

Coghill reports that Myrick has 24 years of law-enforcement experience, including 21 years in Spotsylvania.

VIRGINIA LAW ADDRESSES THE VACANCY

Virginia law establishes a process for filling vacancies in elected constitutional offices, including sheriff.

Under §24.2-228.1 of the Code of Virginia, vacancies in elected constitutional offices generally are filled by special election.

However, if a vacancy occurs within the 12 months immediately preceding the end of the term, the governing body may petition the Circuit Court requesting that no special election be ordered.

If such a petition is filed, Virginia law states that the court shall grant the request. The highest-ranking deputy who is qualified to vote for and hold the office then assumes the powers and duties of the office for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Because Harris plans to leave office Jan. 4 and his term expires Dec. 31, 2027, the vacancy would fall within that 12-month period.

The Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors will therefore have an important role in determining how the county proceeds following Harris’ departure.

2027 SHERIFF’S ELECTION ALREADY DEVELOPING

The leadership transition comes as the campaign for the November 2027 sheriff’s election is already taking shape.

Coghill reports that former Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office Maj. Troy Skebo, Bill Gill, Brian Bettis and Steve Maxwell have announced their intentions to seek the office.

The November 2027 election will determine who serves the next full term as Spotsylvania County sheriff.

Harris’ planned early retirement creates a leadership transition at one of Spotsylvania County’s principal public-safety agencies during the same year voters will choose the county’s next elected sheriff.

The Spotsylvania Gazette will continue following the succession process, including any action by the Board of Supervisors or Circuit Court, the leadership transition at the Sheriff’s Office and developments in the 2027 election.

Sources: Spotsylvania County government records; Code of Virginia §24.2-228.1; reporting by Taft Coghill Jr., Fredericksburg Free Press, Oct. 27, 2026.

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