Maj. Jonathan Morgan was appointed as sheriff by the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 11. He will finish the term of Sheriff Ennis Wright, who retired June 30, and will be paid a salary of $195,000.
Wright recommended Morgan as his replacement. Wright had served as sheriff since 2017, when he was first appointed by the board after Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler resigned. Butler had recommended Wright for the position.
Morgan, who will serve the 15 months remaining on Wright’s term, was selected from a pool of nine candidates. Among those vying for the position was former Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden, 51, who retired from the Fayetteville Police Department on March 31.
In addition to Morgan and Braden, seven of the eight other hopefuls — Joseph Bailer, James Barnes, James Black, Terry Ray, Ron Starling, LaRue Windham— were given five minutes to speak before the board announced its decision. One candidate, Brian Delrosario, was not in attendance.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Maj. Jonathan Morgan named new Cumberland County sheriff