DAVIDSON COUNTY, N.C. -- We're several months away from the primary election, but the race for Sheriff in Davidson County is already heating up.
Former Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege filed to run for office again Wednesday. It's the same job he was ousted from in 2003 after pleading guilty to 2 felonies.
Hege served as Davidson County's top cop for more than a decade and was at one point known as "America's toughest Sheriff." He was also known for his pink jail cells and spider car.
In 2003, he was indicted on 15 felonies. He ultimately plead guilty to 2 counts of Obstruction of Justice. As part of plea deal, he had to resign from his post.
But that didn't stop him from trying again. In 2010, he tried to get his old job back. He lost that election to incumbent Sheriff David Grice. That election also spurred a new amendment to the North Carolina Constitution: felons can't serve as Sheriff.
But it's another law that's letting him get back in the running.
“Once you get your record expunged it is as though it never happened," Hege explains.
According to Hege, his record is expunged all thanks to a 2017 state law that reduces the amount of time certain felons have to wait for that to happen.
In general, a person has to petition court to get their record expunged. They have to fill out a form and then the request needs to be approved by a District Attorney and a judge. Then, it gets sent to the SBI and the Administrative Office of the Courts. Once it passes through there, a clerk is notified to expunge the record. The arresting agency is also notified.
When it comes to Hege, Davidson County Clerk of Superior Court Brian Shipwash says expunged records are not public record so he can't talk about those specifics. However, he can confirm Gerald Hege doesn't have a felony record at this time.