King being challenged by independent in sheriff’s race

By RANDY SEAVER, Editor

Brian Pellerin — deputy chief of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office — recently announced that he is running for York County Sheriff in the November 2026 election.

“I am running as a principled independent candidate, committed to professional, nonpartisan leadership in public safety,” Pellerin wrote in a press release that was sent to several media outlets in southern Maine.

The York County Sheriff’s Office operates the York County Jail and provides law enforcement to 14 rural towns without police departments. The Sheriff’s Office also provides contract deputies to several municipalities within the county and maintains a civil process division.

According to the Maine Secretary of State’s office, incumbent Sheriff William King – a Democrat –will be seeking a fourth, four-year term. First elected sheriff in 2014, King – a Saco resident — began working at the Sheriff’s Office in 2010.

During the last year, King has found himself embroiled in some controversy, including media reports about jail employees allegedly accepting bribes from inmates.

King did not return the Gazette’s request for comment on Monday.

For his part, Pellerin says he is running as an independent candidate because the sheriff’s office “must remain above partisan politics.”

As of Monday, no Republican candidate has yet filed the required candidacy paperwork for the York County sheriff’s position.

Pellerin says the job requires accountability, transparency and a clear focus on putting people over politics.

“I have more than 30 years of law enforcement experience at the local, county, state, and federal levels,” Pellerin wrote in his press release. “I currently serve as Chief Deputy of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, a nationally accredited agency serving more than 300,000 residents.”

Pellerin – a Saco native – today lives in Dayton, where he has resided for more than 20 years and served as a community volunteer, coach and civic leader.

Pellerin previously spent more than two decades as a federal special agent with the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General, conducting complex investigations and protective operations both domestically and internationally, according to his press release.

“The Sheriff’s Office exists for no other reason than to serve and protect the people of York County,” Pellerin said. “In the coming weeks and months ahead, I look forward to earning the trust of voters and building a Sheriff’s Office that sets the standards for professionalism, accountability and service.”

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