Incumbent Shalena Cook Jones wins Democratic Primary Election for Chatham District Attorney

Voters handed incumbent Shalena Cook Jones a resounding victory in the May 21 Democratic primary for Chatham County District Attorney with 73.1% of the vote. Her opponent, former Assistant District Attorney Jenny Parker, garnered 4,347 votes, or 26.90%, of the overall tally.

Jones will face Republican Andre Pretorius, a former deputy chief assistant for the Chatham County State Court. He works now on a part-time basis as an attorney for Chatham County government.

More: Chatham DA faces Democratic challenger at forum hosted by League of Women's Voters

More: Q&A: Chatham County DA Shalena Cook Jones explains why she is running for re-election

More: Former ADA Jenny Parker to run for Chatham County District Attorney

In November 2020, Jones defeated then-incumbent Meg Heap with 68,944 votes for a total vote share of 52.83%, and she took office on Jan. 1, 2021.

Jones ran on a platform of her track record, including the implementation of the conviction integrity and cold case units and tackling a case backlog, which had ballooned to nearly 30,000 cases after her first year in office, primarily because of COVID restrictions.

From May 2000 through November 2021, Parker prosecuted a range of crimes, including misdemeanors and felonies. She served as chief assistant district attorney for Chatham County until leaving in 2022. Since then, Parker has served as an assistant district attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Effingham, Bulloch and Screven counties.

Parker sent a statement via text message: "I congratulate Ms. Jones and wish her and the office success. I hope the office continues to move toward more transparency with our community, as promised during the campaign."

Jones did not return phone calls by publication time.

Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Savannahnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones wins Democratic Primary