Governor Rick Scott has appointed Brad Whitehead to take over for his father, Jerry, who died last month of a heart attack.
Whitehead, 37, of Lake Butler, will be the third member of the Whitehead family to serve as sheriff of Union County. Whitehead has served as the assistant warden of programs for the Florida Department of Corrections since 2012. Past positions include serving as the assistant warden of operations and as the senior prison inspector within the Office of the Inspector General. He has also served as a law enforcement detective for the Division of State Fire Marshal, Bureau of Fire & Arson Investigations from 1998 through 2003.
Governor Scott said, “I am confident that Brad Whitehead will be a great sheriff. His experience in law enforcement has prepared him to serve the families of Union County.”
Original Story: Jerry Whitehead, The Late Union County Sheriff Describes The Community’s Strength During Tragedies
Despite a tragic school bus accident that killed seven children in Union County in 2006 and the August shooting spree when a former employee of Pritchett Trucking killed the company’s owner, 80 year old Marvin Pritchett and two of Pritchett’s employees, Union County Sheriff Jerry Whitehead says the community has learned how to cope and reach out to each other. Now the community will have to learn how to deal with the death of their long-time top law enforcement chief. Sheriff Whitehead, the longest serving sheriff in Florida, passed away on Wednesday, December 18th from an apparent heart attack. He was 60 years old. Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church of Lake Butler. Burial will be in Whitehead Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranches Inc.; P.O. Box 2000, Boys Ranch, Florida 32064.
In this video recorded the week after the Pritchett Trucking shooting spree, Whitehead describes how Union County residents have learned how to deal with tragedy.
Video of law enforcement escorting Jerry Whitehead’s hearse the day of his funeral service.(posted by James Parker)