Sheriff McEathron announces retirement

Warren County Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron officially announced Wednesday morning that he would not seek a fifth term to office in the 2019 Election.

Royal Examiner reached out to Sheriff McEathron in late June regarding his plans for the upcoming election, and he told us then he would make his intentions known “sometime in July.”

His announcement, in a written statement, comes just one day after that self-imposed deadline.

“I have decided to announce this early to give those individuals that have met with me over the past couple months and expressed their interest in running for Sheriff in the 2019 election an opportunity to get out officially and meet with the citizens and earn their trust and vote over the next 16 months. I appreciate those that have been respectfully waiting until I announced my intentions to retire.

“It is an honor to serve as your Sheriff and I will continue to provide the highest level of professionalism and accountability that the citizens of Front Royal and Warren County have come to expect.”

McEathron, 56, was first elected in 2003 and took office in January 2004.

He moved to Warren County as a child in 1974 and joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1982. McEathron and his wife, Donna, have two adult children.

McEathron said in a previous interview, when running for sheriff in 2015, that one of his initial goals as a new sheriff was to “improve the professionalism and accountability” of the office.