LEXINGTON, NC (WBTV) - He was best known for his black Spider car, pink jail cells, and conviction for obstructing justice, but former Davidson County sheriff Gerald Hege is back in the spotlight, hoping to once again be elected sheriff.
On Tuesday Hege officially filed for the office of Sheriff in the Davidson County seat of Lexington.
"I just love it and I was good at it," Hege told WBTV. "When you're good at something and you can help someone else you need to implement that."
In his campaign office in Thomasville Gerald Hege was signing autographs and directing volunteers on where to take his yard signs that he says are in demand all over Davidson County.
"People don't come and ask for 3000 signs and say I don't like the guy," Hege said.
It was the demand for those signs that prompted Hege to get back in the race for sheriff.
Hege was forced out of office in disgrace in 2004 after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice in an investigation involving corruption in his department.
Hege now says that if elected he will hire an attorney to be on staff to help him with the kind of "paperwork mistakes" that led to the charges against him.
"It came down to 2 obstruction of justice charges, it was my mistake. Of I had done some things differently it wouldn't have happened," Hege added.
He touts the things he said were successful about his first term, including forming the state's first drug interdiction unit, a unique program to check on the elderly in the community, and a "citizen's posse."
Hege said that now fighting illegal immigration will be one of his main issues.
"I'm going to rid Davidson County of all illegal aliens, not just from Mexico, but Pakistan, India, or wherever they're from. No sheriff is addressing that the way it should be done in my opinion," said Hege.
Hege told WBTV that he fully expects to go back into office, but that either way, he'll have the satisfaction of knowing where he stands with Davidson County voters.
"I was removed from office in a 20 minute hearing," said Hege. "The people in this county never got a chance to walk in that voting booth and vote me out of office. I can't live with somebody from Raleigh taking me out of office in 20 minutes. I want the people of this county to tell me once and for all, we want you or we don't. I can live with either decision."
WBTV tried but was unable to get in touch with current Davidson County Sheriff David Grice.
Grice was appointed to the job when Hege was removed from office and Grice is seeking election to the post.
