Longtime Newport News Sheriff Gabe Morgan is being challenged for his post by a former sheriff’s deputy.

Morgan, 69, a former Army major who was first elected in 2005 and re-elected four times, faces Francis Jacobson, a 38-year-old who moved to the United States from Nigeria in 2018 and became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

The Newport News Sheriff’s Office hired Jacobson as a recruit in October 2023, and he spent several months in training before becoming a licensed sheriff’s deputy in May 2024. He parted ways with the office earlier this year.

Jacobson says he resigned in March after he filed to run against Morgan. He’s now working in security at Hampton University.

The Newport News Sheriff’s Office has 245 employees and a budget of about $28 million. It runs the Newport News City Jail, pro

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