Carpenter falls short against Borders in race for Lake County Sheriff

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Sandy Carpenter was hoping to unseat incumbent Gary Borders for the Lake County Sheriff position in Tuesday’s primary election, but that didn't happen.

Borders was victorious Tuesday after coming under fire recently after one of his Lake County deputies killed the wrong man during a search for a suspect at a local apartment complex.

"You never know what's going to come up in a campaign, and how they are run.  Here's what I know: I have a lot of employee support.  This community, Lake County, has always supported its law enforcement.  I know that they know these deputy sheriffs have a tough job," said Borders.

As for the shooting, Borders again passed along condolences to the victim's family and he's waiting for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to complete its investigation.

Borders, a Republican, has served as sheriff in Lake County since 2006, when he was appointed by then governor Jeb Bush following the sudden, accidental death of Sheriff Chris Daniels in a charity school-bus race. Voters later elected Borders to a full term in 2008.

Carpenter, a Republican, is a Watch Command Captain with the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He ran for Lake County Sheriff in 2004, but lost in the Republican primary.

WFTV