Orange County Chair Penny Rich has ordered flags at county buildings to be flown at half-staff for the remainder of the week in honor of former Orange County Sheriff Albert “Lindy” Pendergrass, who died Sunday. He was 83 years old.
A native of Chapel Hill, Pendergrass served as Orange County Sheriff from 1982 through his retirement in December 2014. He was elected sheriff eight times.
After serving in the U.S. Marines, Pendergrass started his law enforcement career with the Chapel Hill Police Department in 1957, giving him 57 years of service in public safety in Orange County.
He oversaw tremendous growth in the Office of the Sheriff during his tenure, expanding the number of sworn personnel from 20 to more than 100 when he retired. He promoted the importance of training by sending his staff to classes conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency, among others.
“Sheriff Pendergrass was a dedicated law enforcement officer who spent more than half a century protecting the people of Orange County,” said Rich. “He introduced many innovations with the Sheriff’s Office. Out of respect for his contributions, I am ordering all flags at county facilities to be flown at half-staff for the remainder of the week. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”