Chad Spence wins SJC sheriff’s race

St. Joseph County sheriff candidate Chad Spence picked up an early lead in voting totals Tuesday and hung on to top four opponents to claim the highest elected law-enforcement position in the county.

Unofficial vote totals show the 50-year-old Spence collected more than 49 percent of all votes, besting runner-up Jason Bingaman. The current undersheriff, Bingaman received nearly 30 percent of all votes.

Spence will replace incumbent Mark Lillywhite to the four-year term. Lillywhite chose to not seek re-election after serving one term.