BEAUMONT, Texas — Zena Stephens will be the sheriff in Jefferson County for four more years.
Stephens defeated her Republican challenger David Odom 53% to 45%, according to complete but unofficial election returns.
Stephens has broken barriers throughout her law enforcement career. She was elected the state’s first Black female sheriff in 2016 when she narrowly defeated her Republican challenger Ray Beck with 51% of the vote. Stephens was also the first female major and deputy chief in Jefferson Co. before she was elected sheriff.
She is also one of only two black female sheriff’s in the entire country.
"I care about people,” Stephens told 12News. “So whether they're in my jail, whether they're from China or Nome, whether they're in the north end of Beaumont or Mid County to Port Arthur, I do what it takes to protect or keep people safe."
Stephens says that she wants to focus on mental health inside the county’s correctional facilities during her second term.
"We're just recycling people into the system right now, and a lot of them have never had a mental health diagnosis, a lot of them have never even had medical treatment, and so getting them the resources they need to get well," Stephens said. "They don't belong in jail."
Her Republican challenger easily won the GOP Primary with nearly 92% of the vote in March. Odom, a Marine veteran and retired sergeant with the Nederland Police Dept., was running to “bring the ethics and integrity back to the sheriff’s department”.
“The morale is down with the deputies,” Odom told 12News. “We need someone that's going to stand at the front line and ensure that the citizens of Jefferson County's rights are not infringed on."
With more than 400 employees, the Jefferson County sheriff’s office is the largest employer in the county. The sheriff oversees nearly one-third of the county’s budget.
