Sheriff fires deputy who beat him in re-election campaign, one minute after polls closed

A petition signed by more than 1,400 people is calling for the deputy to be reinstated

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions faced accusations of racism earlier this year, when he praised "the Anglo-American heritage" of US policing (Screengrab)

Instead of a concession call, deputy sheriff Mark Maggs was fired. The 31-year-old faced off against his boss, Sheriff Lenny Gramkow, to be the Republican candidate for the top law enforcement job in South Dakota's Bon Homme County - home to about 7,000 people.

That day he was summoned by the sheriff to a meeting at 7pm, when the polls closed though hours before results would come in. At 7:01pm he was handed a letter, Mr Maggs told The Argus Leader. He was fired.

"Then when I got back to my election party and told my wife, she was very emotional," said Mr Maggs, who has four young children. "It hit her hard. We knew that meant coming at the end of the month we'd be losing health insurance."

Shortly afterwards he posted a photo to Facebook with a simple message: "Here's the integrity of Lenny Gramkow."

"THIS LETTER IS TO INFORM YOU THAT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY YOU ARE TERMINATED FROM THE POSITION OF DEPUTY SHERIFF," stated the notice, which was signed by Gramkow. The letter, marked with a timestamp of "1901 HRS," or 7:01 pm, would turn a local battle into outrage around the country.

Mr Maggs won his contest with Gramkow, 878 to 331. With no other candidates in the race, Mr Maggs, who has said one of his top priorities would be "fighting the methamphetamine epidemic," will begin his four-year term as sheriff in January, according to the Associated Press. The letter did not provide a reason for the termination, but Mr Maggs said that when he told Mr Gramkow of his intention to run the sheriff had brought up the possibility that he would be fired.

Bon Homme County Commissioner Russell Jelsma told the newspaper Inforum that Mr Gramkow was within his powers to dismiss the deputy.

The Associated Press noted that South Dakota is "an employment-at-will state where employees can be fired without cause, with exceptions. The state's sheriffs also have the authority to hire and fire personnel."

In 2017, a federal judge ruled that a homicide detective could be fired for opposing the sheriff's re-election, The Post's Tom Jackman reported.

Mr Maggs did not immediately respond to a Facebook message seeking comment, but according to the Argus Leader, Mr Maggs said county commissioners said they are planning a special meeting next week to discuss the matter.

People have rallied to Mr Maggs' cause. As of Thursday night, more than 1,400 had signed an online petition exhorting the Bon Homme County to reinstate him, while the sheriff department's Facebook page has received a slew of one-star reviews and criticism. The sheriff's office and the county's 911 system have been hit with calls, Mr Maggs told the Argus Leader.

"Stop calling the sheriff's office; those guys still have a job to do," Mr Maggs said.

Mr Gramkow, who had won re-election in 2014, did not immediately respond to a voicemail requesting comment.

The sheriff told the Daily Republic in March that he had hired Mr Maggs but had no thoughts on his subordinate turned opponent. Instead he wondered why people would want to change sheriffs, "as long as he's honest and does his job."

"I wish it was hired just like any other job, I wish you wouldn't have to worry about your job every four years," Mr Gramkow said.

The Washington Post