A third candidate has announced his plan to jump into the Columbus County Sheriff’s Race, nine months before filing begins and a year before the primary.
Whiteville City Councilman Josh Harris said via social media Wednesday that he will run for the county’s top law enforcement officer. Harris, 34, has been a city councilman for two years, representing District One.
Harris is a former sheriff’s deputy and Whiteville Police officer, and graduated from the Southeastern Community College Basic Law Enforcement Training program in 2011.
A registered Republican, Harris is the third GOP hopeful to announce his bid. Sheriff Bill Rogers plans to run for his first elected term in office. He was originally appointed to replace Sheriff Jody Greene in 2022. Rogers was asked to replace Greene just days before Rogers retired from the NCSHP.
Greene resigned from the sheriff’s office amidst a corruption investigation, but was reelected by a wide margin over Democrat Jason Soles. He was forced to resign by commissioners after District Attorney Jon David reopened the case against Greene. Greene has not been charged with any crimes, despite more than two years of investigations by state and federal authorities, and dozens of witnesses being called to testify before a grand jury.
Harris was one of the witnesses who filed an affidavit with the District Attorney’s Office when Greene was removed. Harris claims in his affidavit that Green threatened Harris for not supporting Greene. He also said under oath that a Greene supporter made a comment after a “coon dog” barked at Harris in 2011. Harris also said under oath that he saw Greene’s chief deputy, Aaron Herring, choke a special needs student at Whiteville High School.
Josh McPherson, a former deputy who was lieutenant over Animal Protective Services, was the first candidate to officially announce his plans to run. McPherson also served on the SWAT team, led the mantracking team and the cadet program, as well as a school resource officer. McPherson worked for Greene and Greene’s predecessor, Lewis Hatcher.
No Democrats have officially announced their plans to run for the sheriff’s post, although Soles is rumored to be considering another shot at the job. He previously worked with Sheriff Lewis Hatcher, and later acted a court-ordered liaison between Greene and Hatcher when the 2018 race was being decided in the courts. Soles secretly recorded Greene using racially charged language and released the recordings just before the 2022 elections.
Filing for the 2026 elections begins in December.
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