LATTA, S.C. (AP) – A small town police chief in staunchly conservative South Carolina is trying to make history by becoming the first female sheriff in the state. And the first openly gay one, too.
Crystal Moore knows the November election will be tough, but she has beaten the odds before. Just two years ago, residents in Latta (population 1,400) rallied around Moore after the mayor fired her. He was later caught on a recording ranting that he would rather have a drunk watch a child than a lesbian.
When the tape surfaced, residents voted in a special election to strip the mayor of his power and the Town Council rehired Moore. A few months later, gay marriage was legalized, and Moore married her longtime partner. They now have a 7-month-old daughter.
“That firing really turned out to be a blessing in a way. I saw so much support and then the story went national, and even more people got to see how special this place is,” Moore said.
Now Moore is running for sheriff in Dillon County, a former tobacco hub of 31,000, probably best known for its South of the Border rest stop – a Mexican-themed collection of restaurants and gas stations – on Interstate 95 near the North Carolina state line.