LEXINGTON – Former Davidson County sheriff Gerald Hege made his candidacy official on Tuesday, filing with the Davidson County Board of Elections to seek the office in this year’s elections.

Accompanied by about a dozen supporters, many wearing hats reading “Hege 2010,” the former controversial figure filed at about noon. He’s the second Republican to file for sheriff since filing began Monday.

“It’s a big day,” Hege said. “There are a lot of people, including myself, who didn’t think I’d see this day again. You get down and you get depressed, but you tell your kids all their lives, you are going to have problems, you are going to fall, you are going to stumble and you got to get back up. That’s exactly what I did.”

Hege, a Republican, resigned as sheriff in 2004 and pleaded guilty to two felony counts of obstruction of justice for attempting to cover up money missing from the vice and narcotics unit of the sheriff’s department.

The former sheriff, who was elected in 1994, ended his probation in May 2007, which allowed him to run for sheriff again. State and federal laws, however, prohibit him from owning a gun, even if he is re-elected to the post of sheriff, because he is a convicted felon.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Hege said he wasn’t worried about not being able to carry a gun. He did say he may petition the courts to allow him to carry one. Hege noted that all of the police officers who have been killed in the last two years have carried a weapon.

“I’m a pretty tough guy,” he said. “I’m a pretty big guy, been to a lot of calls. I’m not worried about that at all.”

While sheriff, Hege painted the jail’s cell walls pink and removed television sets and books from the county jail. Prisoners wore coordinated jumpsuits to identify their offense, while deputies wore combat boots. If elected again as sheriff, Hege, who received enough national attention for his unusual methods that it led to a starring role on a national reality television program on Court TV, has said he would make immediate changes, such as repainting the walls pink and removing the television sets. He even hasn’t ruled out another chance of starring on his own TV show if given the chance.

“I’m just a high-profile person,” he said. “I never thought that I would have a national TV show when I was growing up. For me to say I wouldn’t do that again, I couldn’t tell you that, because I don’t know.”

Republican David Grice, the incumbent sheriff, said he plans to file next Monday. Terry Price, a retired state patrolman who sought the post three years ago, filed Monday as a Republican. Edgar Shuler, a former Davidson County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, also has announced his plans to run for sheriff as a Republican.

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