Title: Haywood County Sheriff · Republican (the county’s first Republican sheriff in about a century) In this role since: December 2022 (elected November 2022 with about 61% over Democrat Larry Bryson) Current term ends: December 2026 Next voter decision: none: lost the March 3, 2026 Republican primary to Mark Mease, 42.2% to 57.8% (Smoky Mountain News)
Surveillance record
Wilke’s office put roughly eight to ten Flock plate readers into use in 2024 through ordinary operations, with no commission vote then or since (Haywood County). No on-record statement by Wilke about the cameras, their data sharing, or ICE access was found in this pass; the January 2026 candidate forum coverage did not touch the subject (WLOS). The cameras he installed outlast him; the contract and renewal date are unpublished.
Background
Thirty-one years in the Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard (retired as a colonel in 2021); sixteen years at the Asheville Police Department, to lieutenant; private investigator from 2016 (The Mountaineer). Named with a deputy in a 2025 civil suit over a landfill altercation; the landfill countersued (Smoky Mountain News).
The question for him
Before he leaves: what did the Flock contract cost, when does it renew, and who has access to the data? He can answer without an election.
Region: Haywood County · Last updated: Aug 22, 2026