Maplesville Police Chief Robbie Autery said on Thursday that he will be a 2022 candidate for sheriff of Chilton County.
This will be the second time that Autery will face the two-term incumbent, Sheriff John Shearon, in a Republican primary.
“Four years ago, I ran because I was tired of seeing drugs run through our county and the crime rate increase,” Autery said. “Today I announce my candidacy for Sheriff because we are still seeing drugs flow through our county and the crime rate continues to increase.
“I want to bring my first-hand experience to keep our roads and communities safe. The good people of Chilton County deserve a sheriff who will work day in and day out to protect our communities and be a force to stopping the flow of drugs.”
Robbie Autery began his law enforcement career in 2004 with the Chilton County Sheriff’s Department, where he served until 2007. Autery then took his services to the Alabama Department of Public Safety, where, as an Alabama State Trooper, he worked across the state patrolling all major state and federal highways. In 2008, Robbie became a K-9 Handler and in 2009, he joined the State Trooper Felony Apprehension Patrol Unit.
In January 2011, Autery became a certified DIAP/EPIC instructor. As an instructor, he taught thousands of officers across the country from federal, state and local agencies. In 2013, Robbie left the Alabama State Troopers for the 17th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, where he started the state’s first District Attorney’s Office Criminal Interdiction team. In 2021, Robbie was appointed chief of police for the town of Maplesville, while still continuing to work part-time for the 17th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
“Chilton County is my home, and I want to protect and serve the people of this great county by fostering relationships with our neighboring counties to cut off the drug routes, enforce the law written, and help support our sheriff deputies and municipal police forces in stopping crime,” Autery said. “Over the next several months, I am looking forward to getting my message out to the people of why I want to be the next Sheriff of Chilton County.”
In his 18 years of public service, Autery has made and successfully prosecuted federal drug trafficking and conspiracy cases in the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama. Autery has achieved a 100 percent conviction rate on all of his drug trafficking cases in both state of Alabama and federal courts.
Autery has led the state of Alabama in total interdiction seizures from 2009 to 2020. Over his career, he has seized thousands of pounds of narcotics including cocaine, methamphetamines, heroin and marijuana. Due to his efforts, law enforcement was able to prevent over $40 million in narcotics from reaching communities and seized over $12 million in ill-gotten gains from the drug traffickers.
Autery was awarded the 2012 DIAP Instructor of the Year, 2012 DIAP Work Horse Award, 2013 DIAP Networker of the Year, 2014 DIAP/EPIC Bob Thompson National Interdiction Officer of the Year, 2015 Nations largest reported cocaine seizure, 2016 Nations largest reported cocaine seizure, 2017 nominee for the Alabama Legislator Medal of Honor, and 2019 BLOC/HIDA Nation’s largest currency seizure.
The Chilton County Republican primary will be May 24, 2022.
