James Jackson, a captain with the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s E-911 director, was appointed as coroner this week by Probate Judge Kayla Grier.
Jackson’s new role came after Howard Sanders resigned the coroner position on March 9 to run against county commission District 1 incumbent Lewis “Phil” Sanders in the general primary, scheduled for May 24.
Jackson will serve the remainder of Howard Sanders’ term, which expires in 2024. He was elected coroner in 2016.
In order to run for the Board of Commissioners, Sanders had to resign from his position as coroner because of a Georgia law that prevents individuals from holding two elected positions at a time.
The coroner is in charge of investigating and determining the cause of death when any person dies under mysterious or indefinite circumstances. The coroner’s office responds to calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help establish the cause of death and the manner of death of an individual, according to the Oglethorpe County Coroner page.