Fannin County Sheriff Mark Johnson on Monday officially announced his plan to retire at the end of his term on Dec. 31, 2024 and endorsed current Trenton Chief of Police William Robertson.
“I am proud of the many changes that I have been able to make within the Sheriff’s Office and still have some plans to finish,” said Johnson. “Things were looking up when Judge Moore took office and I knew he was a supporter of the Sheriff’s Office. Things are different now and I don’t see much support and there are some who want to run my office without the authority to do so. I will continue to fight for my employees until the day I retire. That has always been my promise to them.”
Johnson said he he made the decision to retire, he approached Robertson and asked if he would consider running for Sheriff.
“He had already been considering it but said he wouldn’t do it as long as I was running. He has stepped up and announced his intent to become the next Fannin County Sheriff and I fully endorse him and ask anyone who has supported me to please place your support and confidence in William.”
Johnson has worked in the law enforcement field for more than 40-years, starting as a dispatcher in 1980. He then went on to become a jailer and jail administrator before attending the police academy in 1988.
In 1992, he moved to Fannin County as a single father and began working for the Honey Grove Police Department before working as the Chief of Police in Savoy for eight years. Johnson then worked as the Chief of Police in Honey Grove for ten years before becoming Sheriff of Fannin County.
“My goal was to end my career as the Sheriff. At the end of my term, I will have realized that goal having spent 8 years as Fannin County Sheriff. I have never once regretted my decision to become a police officer and have never been afraid to do the job. I have loved every single day as a police officer but there comes a time to bring the career to an end. My heart issues are not a secret and time at home with my wife is something we both want and need. I appreciate the confidence you have placed in me and the support you continue to show me. Fannin County is a great place to call home.”
Johnson describes Robertson as a good man and a constitutional law enforcement officer who has the “maturity, experience, life skills, leadership, and understanding” of the law to make an excellent sheriff.
“I ask that you please vote for William Robertson in the March Republican primary election.”
