Former Sheriff Ken Fortune dies

Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Longtime former Sheriff Ken Fortune, 78, passed away on Sunday, Aug.28.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) posted a quote on their Facebook page that read, “Sheriff Mac McNeill and staff are saddened to announce the passing of former Sheriff Kenneth Fortune.”
Fortune, who hailed from North Carolina, served in the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) for years before being elected Jefferson County Sheriff in 1984. He served as the county’s chief law enforcement officer for 20 years, until his retirement in 2004.
During his tenure, Fortune presided over the construction of the new jail building at the industrial park and also navigated his department through two of this county’s most high-profile cases in recent history.
First was the murder of FHP Trooper Jimmy Fulford on the interstate in 1992 and the subsequent high-profile investigation and trial and conviction of his killer in 1995.
Next came the infamous British tourist case in 1993, when four local youths, in a botched robbery at the interstate rest stop, fatally shot English tourist Gary Colley and wounded his longtime companion, Margaret Jagger.
The slaying of Colley, the ninth tourist to be killed in Florida that year, drew national and international attention and put the JCSO investigation under intense scrutiny.
Notwithstanding the unprecedented media attention and pressure for a quick arrest from the governor on down, Fortune handled the situation with grace, restraint and professionalism, resulting in his department delivering four arrests within days of the incident.
By nature genial and self-deprecating in his humor, Fortune enjoyed it when a local wit branded his deputies “Fortune’s Wheels”, in a twist of the popular Wheel of Fortune TV game show.
He was also a regular and popular figure at what is now the Rev Café, formerly a Fina gas station and convenience store dubbed Café Fina, a place where community leaders and citizens gathered around the coffee pot mornings to tell stories and discuss the local happenings.
Despite his mild facade, however, Fortune could be steely and forthright when the circumstances required it.
Born in Toluca, NC, on May 25, 1944, Fortune received a public school education in Burke County, N.C. and Spartanburg County, S.C and served in the U.S. Navy. He received his FHP certification at the Florida Highway Patrol Training Academy in Tallahassee. He and wife Wanda Fortune had three children.