Title: Transylvania County Sheriff · Republican · office page In this role since: December 2022 (elected 2022, succeeding David Mahoney; with the office since 2002 as patrol deputy, school resource officer, sergeant, and lieutenant of professional standards) Current term ends: December 2030 (unopposed) Next voter decision: none: no challenger filed for November 3, 2026 (Transylvania Times)
Surveillance record
Owenby began installing 8 Flock cameras in August 2024, on private property near county lines, with no commission vote found (Transylvania Times). He credits them with locating six missing persons and a “reduction of crime”; no independent evaluation exists, no transparency portal is published, and no policy manual is public (Transylvania County). His office appears on Henderson County’s list of agencies with access to Henderson’s reads. An independent critic site (chuckowenby.com) opposes the program; it is opinion, not reporting.
ICE
No statements found. Transylvania has no 287(g) agreement (ICE list, Aug 21, 2026).
The question for him
With no election to answer to for four years, the only accountability left is paper: the contract, the annual audit state law requires, and the sharing list. Will he publish them? The Brevard council, deciding its own Axon bundle, should ask what the county already shares (What the Law Lets the County Do).
Region: Transylvania County · Last updated: Aug 22, 2026