Alabama deputy considering run for sheriff placed on leave

A longtime Alabama sheriff’s deputy who plans to run for sheriff has opted to take administrative leave without pay.

FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — A longtime Alabama sheriff’s deputy who plans to run for sheriff has opted to take administrative leave without pay after the incumbent told him it was either that or resign. The TimesDaily reports that Lauderdale County Deputy John Randall McCrary says he received a letter from Lauderdale Sheriff Rick Singleton on Thursday informing him of his choices, even though he hasn’t officially qualified to oppose Singleton. Singleton says a state attorney general’s opinion from 1998 gave him the right to take action. He says McCrary’s announcement of his plan to run for sheriff has already caused a disruption within the department.