Getting to know Richmond County Sheriff-elect Eugene "Gino Rock" Brantley and his motivations for running for office is like reading the biblical story of David and Goliath.
Comparing Goliath, an arrogant and threatening giant, to violent crime in Augusta, Brantley said someone needed to step up to reclaim the city.
"Goliath challenged the soldiers to a fight for 40 days and nobody took the challenge," Brantley said. "David was a shepherd who just happened to be at the battlefield taking the soldiers water and gifts when he overheard Goliath challenging the soldiers. He asked, 'You're just going to let this guy defile our God?' And he took it upon himself to challenge Goliath."
Brantley said he looks at that story and felt the same way.
"Looking at where I come from, being a sergeant at the marshal's office, I was just willing to accept the challenge," he said. "Somebody had to do something and I just happened to be that someone."
Brantley will take over for 11-year incumbent Sheriff Richard Roundtree in 2025.
Coming from a small South Carolina town of just 2,000 to becoming one of Augusta's most important officials – here's his backstory:
Brantley's path to sheriff
Brantley, 54, of west Augusta, said as a child he never saw himself becoming sheriff.
His life has been dedicated to filling gaps and stepping up to help when the community was need. Filling this new role, he said, is just that.
Raised as one of five kids and now the father of three daughters, Brantley was born in Texas while his dad was stationed at Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood.
He was given the nickname "Gino" by his grandmother and lived in Winston Salem, North Carolina until he was 10, before moving to Estill, South Carolina.
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Brantley played football in high school, leading to his career as a linebacker at Savannah State University.
While football was one of his main focuses, he said religion always came first.
"I grew up going to church probably three or four times a week, twice on Sunday, some Saturdays," he said. "It kind of interfered with me being able to play football, but my dad was into sports and was able to encourage my mom, [a pastor], to let me play."
In college, Brantley played alongside three time Super Bowl champ and Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, and was chosen as the team's MVP his senior year.
After graduating, Brantley played football professionally for the Florence Apaches in Florence, Italy for one season. He came back to the U.S. in hopes of getting into the NFL, but suffered a career-ending injury in the offseason.
It took years for Brantley to be able to run again, so he pursued a career at the Savannah River Site, where he worked for Bechtel. From there, he worked as a recreation director in Estill before joining the sheriff's office in November 2000.
Career in law enforcement
Brantley's lengthy 16-year career with the sheriff's office had a unique beginning.
"I used to go to a gym in a strip mall [on Wrightsboro Road] and I ran into a lot of guys who worked at the sheriff's office," he said. "[A deputy], Gerald Tanksley, and I started working out together and built a relationship – he and [Richmond County Marshal] Ramon Lampkin kind of talked me into joining the sheriff's office."
Brantley started off working in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, where he stayed for a year and a half before going to the police academy and getting certified for road patrol.
It was during his time at the detention center that he acquired his other nickname, "Rock."
"At the time I was working in the jail, the inmates were familiar with Dwayne Johnson, who was a WWE superstar," Brantley said. "There was some resemblance. When I had hair, he had hair. Our physique was similar, but he's a little taller than I am. So that's kind of how that came about."
After serving on road patrol, he moved to the Special Operations Unit with the housing division.
Brantley's next stop was in 2017 at the Richmond County Marshal's Office, where he served as a sergeant in the community relations department. He later became sergeant over the evictions detail.
In a social media post Wednesday, Brantley thanked Augustans for their support, noting he worked 16-hour days for the past month to bring his ideas to fruition.
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who believed in our vision," he wrote in the post. "While we are excited for the changes ahead, we must also remember to support our current sheriff's office and the brave men and women who put on the uniform each day. These individuals serve and protect us daily and need our continued support as we transition over the next six months."
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