Unofficial vote counts from the Tuesday, Aug. 6, election suggest that the current sheriff of Barry County, Dar Leaf, will likely continue in his role as the next sheriff.
Three Republican challengers, Joel Ibbotson (36), Mark Noteboom (42), and Sgt. Richelle Spencer, ran against Leaf (59) for the office of Sheriff. Since there were no Democrats who filed to run, whoever wins the Tuesday election will most likely be the next Sheriff, unless there is a successful write-in campaign.
According to unofficial totals from Barry County, Leaf emerged as the clear winner with 8,492 votes, which accounted for approximately 58% of the total votes cast. Spencer, on the other hand, secured 4,933 votes, making up about 34% of the total. Noteboom and Ibbotson trailed behind with 1,053 votes (7%) and 183 votes (1%) respectively.
Sheriff Leaf has gained national attention for his efforts to investigate the results of the 2020 presidential election. He believes that voter fraud may have influenced the outcome, a claim that former President Donald Trump also made following his defeat. Despite lacking evidence to support this theory, Leaf remains committed to finding proof of any wrongdoing. As a constitutional sheriff, he has made it his mission to ensure that election processes are fair and transparent.
Located between Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Lansing, Barry County is a rural county.
Over the last five years, Leaf has been a controversial figure. He served as a small-town sheriff but gained nationwide attention by opposing pandemic lockdown mandates. Leaf also faced scrutiny for his association with men accused of kidnapping Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, although they were eventually acquitted. Additionally, Leaf has been involved in an ongoing investigation into alleged voter fraud.
As of Wednesday morning, Leaf has yet to respond to an email requesting comment.
