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Andrews – Chief Caleb Stiles, widely credited with stabilizing an Andrews Police Department that had endured disarray for several years, is running for sheriff in Graham County in the 2026 Republican primary.
Stiles, a Graham County resident who was raised in the Andrews area, announced his candidacy on his Facebook page.
“When the Lord puts something in your heart, you gotta run with it,” Stiles told the Cherokee Scout.
In a post addressed to the residents of Graham County, Stiles said, “I know the word has spread due to the number of people who have asked. With that being said, I would like to publicly announce my candidacy in the 2026 election for sheriff of Graham County.”
Stiles became chief over a department that was rocked when its previous chief, Rocky Burrell, was battling late-stage cancer while also facing felony charges for being paid for qualification courses for his officers that he did not teach. Burrell himself had provided a level of stability for the department, which at one point lost nearly all its officers amid a scandal over evidence record keeping.
Since becoming chief in early 2024, Stiles stabilized his department, filled remaining vacancies, upgraded its motor pool and earned praise from the District Attorney’s Office for its meticulous attention to detail when filing arrest reports.
“I’ll be short for now, but for those who don’t know me, my name is Caleb Stiles, and I have dedicated my entire life to public service,” Stiles wrote.
“Even at a young age, the desire to help others is what gave me purpose. Immediately after graduating from high school, I wanted to continue to fulfill that desire to serve in the highest capacity possible. This resulted in enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. After a successful enlistment in the Marines, I came back home to western North Carolina to pursue a career in law enforcement with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
“Throughout my career, I’ve worked in various areas of law enforcement including patrol, investigations, K9 handling, and administration. After years of working for the sheriff’s office and seeing the Andrews Police Department struggle to maintain stability, I accepted my current position as chief of police for the Town of Andrews.”
Stiles said his goal as sheriff is “to simply work hard every single day to ensure that your vote was earned. And to the citizens of Andrews that I also care deeply for, do not worry, the Andrews Police Department is staffed with hard-working, dedicated police officers and will continue to thrive.”
Incumbent Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit, who is finishing his first term, has not announced whether he is seeking re-election. However, Stiles said it is his understanding that Hoxit is not running.
It is already a crowded field for that office, with Terry Grey, Leon Allen, Mitch Millsaps, Jesse Rogers and Stiles in the race so far.
Grey is a career Coast Guard officer who moved to Robbinsville in 2019. Allen is a career in law enforcement and has run for sheriff previously. Millsaps’ Facebook page announces his candidacy for sheriff along with his wife, Rhea, running for clerk of court in Graham County, but no further details. Rogers’ candidate page on Facebook provides no details about his candidacy.