York Co. sheriff candidate Williams resigns from sheriff’s office

One candidate to succeed retiring York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant has resigned from the department.

Republican John Williams turned in his notice this week. Williams had been a forensics investigator with the sheriff’s office for 33 years.

“Sheriff’s deputies are limited by the sheriff in what they can say about current department policies and procedures,” Williams’ campaign said. “This move will allow John to devote more time in the final days to his campaign to replace Sheriff Bryant as York County’s next sheriff.”

Bryant is stepping down after 20 years in office.

Williams has launched a bid in the Republican primary for the sheriff’s post, saying he wants to focus on serving rural areas, securing the campuses of the county’s schools, and improving the department’s retention rate.

He’s running against Kevin Tolson, Bryant’s son-in-law and an investigator with the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

The GOP primary is on June 14.

This story was originally published May 5, 2016 at 11:13 AM with the headline "York Co. sheriff candidate Williams resigns from sheriff’s office."