The numbers he received in Tuesday's election, coming in second to Democratic Party nominee Wes Tripp and ahead of Republican challenger James Warren, did speak to the groundswell of support he gained running as an independent candidate.

“Obviously, the 7,000 plus people who gave me a vote of confidence I should be sheriff is something I accept humbly and accept with grace and honor. I don't treat that lightly,” he said this morning.

Whether he plans to run for sheriff again in four years is something he's not ready to discuss. “As far as telling you I want to run in the future, it's too early right now. I need to make assessments of my personal life and career. There's things I need to take care of.”

Macon said he was appreciative of the support he got from family and friends who stood behind him from the beginning of his campaign. “We started strong and finished strong. It was a good, clean race and I look forward to working with the new sheriff. Hopefully we can do some good things in the community.”

Macon said he has no plans to protest the outcome of the election. “I trust the integrity of the board of elections.”

He said he doesn't regret the decision to run as an independent. “I absolutely have no regrets at all. I did what was in the best interest of the campaign team and the efforts say I connected with a lot of people and a lot of people believed Mark Macon was a viable candidate.”

Macon will continue to work for the town in his capacity as chief. “I hope to continue our community-based efforts. I have a vested interest in Halifax County and doing what we can at the police department to be a good, aggressive organization.”