When Davie Sheriff Andy Stokes announced he was retiring at midnight Jan. 31, the job of finding his replacement fell on the members of the executive committee of the Davie County Republican Party.

They didn’t have to look far.

Chief Deputy J.D. Hartman would have automatically gotten the job had the committee failed to make a recommendation. But they chose him, and although the move has to be approved by the county commissioners, those commissioners are mandated by law to appoint the committee’s recommendation, said County Attorney Ed Vogler.

On top of that, commissioners all sit on the executive committee of the Republican Party.