Breaking: Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley wins re-election

Will County Sheriff Mike Kelley has won re-election against his Republican opponent Jim Reilly.

The contest pitted the incumbent sheriff against one of his deputies and was at times contentious.

At a Herald-News forum, Reilly accused the sheriff of having a “bully mentality” while Kelley accused his opponent of spreading “half-truths.”

The campaign had a ready-made issue with the high-profile homicide of toddler Sema’J Crosby in April 2017 still unsolved.

Reilly was often on the offensive, pointing at the Crosby case and others as he contended that the sheriff's department's unsolved murder rate was one of the the worst in the state.

He also challenged Kelley’s experience and credentials, pointing to his own work on a doctorate degree in law enforcement.

Kelley in turn questioned Reilly's experience, noting a 16 years when he was out of the profession before joining the sheriff's police in 2013.

The sheriff defended his department's work on homicides, saying the department had solved 64 percent of its cases in the past four years compared to a national average of 46 percent.

The intensity of Reilly's criticism at one point brought out a response from leaders in the the sheriff's unions, who said the negative campaigning had begun to reflect on the police in the department.

The unions also had endorsed Kelly.

For his part, Reilly said his criticism was directed at the sheriff and not at the rank and file.

The two candidates also clashed over what to do about opioid abuse in Will County.

Kelly was first elected in 2014 after former Sheriff Paul Kaupas had retired.

A 30-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, Kelley had pointed to accomplishments as sheriff that included the return of a K-9 unit to assist in drug investigations and improved protection of criminal evidence.