Q&A with Aiken County Sheriff Candidate Stuart Prettel | Aiken Area News

Stuart Prettel is running for Aiken County Sheriff.

The current sheriff, Michael Hunt, announced in early 2023 that he would not seek re-election.

Prettel's opponents in the June 11 Republican primary are Marty Sawyer and Ed Wilson.

Prettel has lived in Aiken for more than 30 years and is retired from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office.

During a career in public service spanning several decades, he served as a police officer, deputy and state trooper in the South Carolina State Police.

A Vietnam-era veteran and member of Millbrook Baptist Church, Prettel has a daughter and a son, as well as three grandchildren.

Prettel's son followed in his father's footsteps and became a deputy sheriff.

Why do you want to be sheriff of Aiken County?

I believe running for office and serving as Aiken County Sheriff should be a calling to serve.

I am retired from the Aiken County Sheriff's Office and our crime rate was extremely low when I was a street deputy.

Aiken County was once one of the safest counties in South Carolina, and today the crime rate has exploded.

I traveled from one end of the county to the other. Citizens have lost all confidence in the sheriff's office.

It will take a strong leader who knows the country to begin to fix what has been broken for a long time.

It seems like shootings are happening almost daily across the country.

Fentanyl and methamphetamine are now commonplace on the streets of Aiken County, and every death from these drugs is a tragedy for the person who died and their loved ones.

Aiken County has been my home for 35 years and I care deeply about the citizens of this county and my neighbors.

I know I can make a big difference in this county, protecting citizens and improving the working lives of deputies.

What do you believe is Aiken County's biggest law enforcement challenge, and what do you plan to do about it?