PALATKA, Fla. – Sounded by family friends and co-workers, Gator DeLoach was sworn in Tuesday morning as new sheriff of Putnam County.
"Hey, this is a great moment, it’s a lot of effort on behalf of a lot of people and I couldn’t be more pleased," DeLoach said.
The ceremony only happened after a judge on Friday threw out a motion to block the swearing in, but DeLoach still faces a legal challenge by his election opponent, Jon Kinney.
Kinney's attorney contends votes weren't counted properly. In the days after the election, 428 additional ballots were discovered.
After two recounts, DeLoach was declared the winner of the election by 16 votes. The motion also accuses the canvassing board of violating Florida Sunshine Laws and its political code during the recount process.
The challenge also accuses the canvassing board of violating Florida Sunshine Laws and its political code during the recount process.
Kinney's attorney's will be back in court on Feb. 9.