John Gray was elected as Probate Judge of McCormick County, SC on November 8, 2022.  Judge Gray is a career Law Enforcement Officer of 45 years. During his career, he spent 20+ years as a Homicide Investigator. Judge Gray spent the last 20 years as a Task Force Commander directing Region 3 K-9 Task Force station in Augusta, GA. This position included providing annual security support at the Augusta National Masters Golf Tournament and assisting security at the 2019 Super-Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. During his career, Judge Gray investigated over 200 Homicides and countless crimes. These investigations involved hundreds of hours testifying and following court procedures. Judge Gray's objectives are to work to improve the quality of the community by prioritizing drug addiction and mental illness. Judge Gray hopes to minimize hardship for all parties involved during their process of probate. Judge Gray plans to accomplish some of his goals through his specialized training as hostage negotiator, criminal profiler, trained interviewer and over 3600 hours of continuing education which includes criminal & civil law.