Gerald Keith Hege, Sr. (born 1948) is an American retired law enforcement officer who served as the Sheriff of Davidson County, North Carolina from 1994 until 2004. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he became famous for his highly eccentric behavior as sheriff, his internationally known television show, and eventually for the charges of corruption that led to his resignation. He is a Republican, and a former head of the Davidson County Republican Party. Hege's management style as head of the Davidson County Republican Party sparked a rift that nearly split county Republicans. In 2017, Hege published his first novel, "Deathbed Confessions." In 2018, the State of North Carolina expunged his criminal records. Early life In 1970 Hege was hired as a sheriff's deputy by Davidson County Sheriff Fred Sink. Three years later he shot and killed a suspected burglar near Lexington. He left his job in 1974 after a fight with several inmates. Career as sheriff Hege was elected sheriff in 1994 by a margin of 261 votes. One of his better-known campaign slogans was "When I am elected Sheriff, I will wear a uniform every day and there will be no deals for anybody." After his election, all Davidson County Sheriff's cars were fitted with a front license plate proclaiming "NO DEALS" in large block letters. His personal patrol vehicle was a 1995 Chevrolet Impala with a Chevrolet Corvette engine and nitrous oxide tanks. His department lost its insurance coverage when he boasted that he had driven the vehicle at speeds of up to 140 mph. The car was referred to as "The Spider Car" because of a custom paint job featuring a Black Widow Spider and the letters "DDT." The windows of this and all other patrol cars of the force were tinted dark black. Hege took Buford Pusser and Joe Arpaio as role models. Hege ordered all deputies to dress in paramilitary fatigues and combat boots; Hege dressed this way himself, despite the tradition of business attire for Davidson County sheriffs. Hege reinstated the use of chain gang prisoner labor. He also removed the television sets and books (except for the Bible) from the county jail. The jail was repainted in pink with weeping blue teddy bears. Prisoners also wore color coordinated jumpsuits to identify their offense: Blue for misdemeanors, green for sex offenders, and orange for felons. The jumpsuits were striped in the old-fashioned manner